The 1st half of the album is my favorite, which includes most of the new tracks. While the 2nd half surely doesn’t disappoint, it is mostly comprised of interludes and previously released material.
The record starts with a very dark, dreamy, atmospheric vibe -which is exactly what I was expecting from an opening track titled “Lucid Dreaming”. What caught my attention (aside from the bass) was how immediate she talks about being the only one in control of her life, and that she’ll no longer be dictated by anyone – sounds familiar!
This track transitions SEAMLESSLY into “C’est La Vie” and “Sunburn” – two ULTRA chill, turnt-down, slow bangers about looking at the bright side of things post-trauma, even when it’s difficult. Real shit masked behind some hard-hitting beats.
I love how minimal the tempo is in “Sunburn” because you can hear these warped sound effects in the background that sound “hot” to me. The sound kinda grows in intensity and then stops – like a heatwave or coils heating up and turning red. Am I the only one that hears that? The song sounds like the lyrics: “I’m seeing pink ’cause I’ve been looking at the bright side…”
And then Tinashe’s breathy falsetto vocals on “C’est La Vie” truly make me think I’m listening to Aaliyah again.
The album quickly transitions from needs to wants, with the tracks “Company”and “Sacrifices”. I think (aside from Soul Glitch), “Sacrifices” may be my favorite song on the entire album.
It’s not my M.O to fall in love
But fucking around with me is dangerous
The lines are blurry now, this isn’t lust
But you like it (but you like it)
She worked on this one with ATL- based producer Metro Boomin, so it’s got that chill, trap vibe to it just like “Ride Of Your Life” – another track he also produced on the record. The background vocals are insane in the chorus of this song – and the melody it has so many different elements and changes so many times as the song progresses.
She continues the theme of finding cute, (literal) tongue-in-cheek ways of telling a guy exactly what you want – emotionally and physically- when they just don’t seem get it.
Standout tracks for me on the remainder of the album are “Soul Glitch” – a dreamy, experimental song with really cool metaphors. Like, of course, for a man to admit to his actions or feelings it would need to be blamed on a “glitch” – right? (“Ice in my head cause I’m a cold bitch. Don’t blame me, you the reason why your soul glitch…”). It touches on that thing where guys do the reverse-make-me-look-crazy thing (“Why you turn me to a monster?..”) TOO REAL.
Another favorite for me is “Touch Pass”, about having a literal “pass” to do whatever you want – but in the cutest way possible I kid you not. (“Don’t ask, just do. Your hands want to. You got a touch pass; come through. You know my heart, I trust you.”)
Of course let me not forget my go-to jam “Ride Of Your Life”. Literally our first taste of what we thought to be the album Joyride. I will never, ever skip this track and I love hearing it absolutely any time of day.
And the choreography got me like:
DAMN.
To wrap this up, this last minute Christmas gift has been on repeat non-stop and I would highly recommend it. If you’re a Tinashe fan you’ll like it, and if you’ve not listened to her before – this is a very nice collection of all of the genres she touches on in her music.
I REALLY hope she tours this album because I’ve never seen her live before, and I’m ready. Fingers crossed for 2017!
In the meantime stream or buy Nightride and tell me what you think!