It’s been four years since Steve Lacy released his last album, the Grammy-winning “Gemini Rights.” The virtuosic guitarist and producer has spent this gap hard at work “designing a new language for [himself],” he said in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“Oh yeah?”, released Friday, is an album that feels remarkably of the moment. The romance of “Oh yeah?” sits in a gray area closer to a situationship than a relationship, pointing a unique lens into Lacy’s love life. Characterizing the album’s songs as loving might even be a stretch.
“Oh yeah?” is best described as an album about impulses: the impulse to lust, the impulse to leave and sometimes even the impulse to love.
An album with themes of longing and summertime romance, “Oh yeah?” immediately draws my mind to Frank Ocean’s 2016 classic “Blonde.” But while Ocean’s lyricism might be flowery and dense, Lacy offers a stark contrast.
Some lines are nothing but blunt. Lacy tells stories of cheating, hook-ups and “romantic boners.”
But it’s this straightforward delivery of Lacy’s thoughts that lends the most appeal. The candid lines and remarkably horny topics draw to mind another classic album: Weezer’s “Pinkerton.” The songs might not contain the most savory topics to listen to, but they’re intensely real and personal.
Sonically, “Oh yeah?” delivers the best of what you’d expect from Lacy’s signature sound. While guitars have been gradually taking a backseat with every subsequent release from the artist, listeners with a six-string in hand will be happy to find plenty of great Lacy riffs to grind away at.
After all, “Oh yeah?” is a “record for guitar kids who love synths and synth kids who love guitars.”
Moving emphasis away from the guitar, a welcome addition of synth-forward production leads to a delightfully dense atmosphere.
Production has always been a strength of Lacy’s — he was just 18 years old when he produced “PRIDE.” off of Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer-winning “DAMN.” — and this album proves it's a skill he’s only developed with time.
Arrangements are complex while still providing enough room for the song to retain earworm potential. The album’s opening track “oh yeah?” and lead single “nice shoes / in your world” stand out as exceptionally produced.
Lacy may have taken his time between releases, but it's a break that’s proven he’s only here to stay. “Oh yeah?” is the artist’s most personal and cohesive record to date.
Contact Christopher Rodriguez at crodriguez@alligator.org. Follow him on X @ChrisRodri29386.
