SZA’S SOS DELUXE: LANA REVIEW

MUSIC | 19 January

SOS DELUXE: LANA REVIEW

SZA’s long-awaited (two years to be exact) SOS Deluxe: LANA has finally arrived, offering a poignant continuation of emotional reckoning that solidified SOS as a modern-day classic. Within its first week of release in December 2022, SOS didn’t fall short of becoming the most-streamed R&B album by a woman, acquiring 404 million streams. It continued to dominate the charts, spending 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, showcasing its undeniable power as a blockbuster album.

This time round, SZA treats us to an additional 15 tracks, diving deeper and delivering a cohesive extension of the original album with new layers of sound and lyrical storytelling. Among her collaborators are familiar names from SOS, such as Rob Bisel, Michael Uzowuru, and ThankGod4Cody, alongside new production contributions from Lil Yachty, and, surprisingly, just one feature - Kendrick Lamar.

Self-sabotage, anxious attachment, vengeance, and the need for approval - SZA has carried her old emotional baggage from SOS into LANA, illustrating that the path to healing is anything but linear. It’s a long-winded process defined by setbacks, rebounds, and relapses. Take “Scorsese Baby Daddy,” for instance: an experimental and emotionally charged track that incorporates punk rock instrumentals. A step outside of her musical comfort zone, the blending of genres encapsulates the intense turmoil of being trapped in a cycle of self-destruction. An anti-hero in her own story, much like Travis Bickle or Jordan Belfort, SZA spirals into new highs with her unhealthy coping mechanisms. In stark contrast, the mellower “Crybaby” is the inevitable comedown; a sobering moment amidst all the chaos. Solána’s soulful vocal performance takes centre stage for this one, illuminating painful self-awareness of her cynical nature and the tendency to blame others for personal shortcomings: “If I stopped blaming the world for my faults, I could evolve.”

“Everything I love, I gotta let go” is SZA’s new-found mantra for LANA. Several tracks on this deluxe edition suggest that she has arrived at a new destination in her healing journey, one where she explores the law of detachment. With stringy guitar chords reverberating in “No More Hiding,” reminiscent of “Blind” and “Too Late,” the opening track creates a sonically cohesive transition into the second part of her emotionally-conflicting storytelling, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

Good days seem to reside on “Saturn.” She grapples with escapism and existentialism, singing “I’ll be better on Saturn/None of this matters,” longing to detach from the weight of her struggles and find solace in letting go. Yet, despite her self-proclaimed awareness of the steps she must take to heal, SZA is no alien to romanticising her struggles on planet Earth. She relapses into her familiar Drew Barrymore-esque ways in “Kitchen.” Whether tripping on shrooms or drunk on love, her clouded judgement is laid bare through vulnerable lyrics like, “Dancing and kissing, the kitchen/Makes me think, I forgive him,” and “Vacationing in rock bottom, back again.” Juxtaposed with nostalgic 70s instrumentals from The Isley Brothers’ “Voyage to Atlantis” sample, the song vividly encapsulates what it’s like to view a toxic relationship through rose-coloured glasses - feeling sentimentally attached to the good times of the past while choosing to ignore the painful realities of the present.

Reclaiming her throne as the queen of messy situationships, a phone call turns Solána’s world upside down in “What Do I Do.” The dynamic, synth-powered beat creates a fitting backdrop as SZA battles with betrayal and confusion after overhearing her ‘ride or die’ having sex with someone else on the other end of the line. Nevertheless, despite all the setbacks, she reminds us that she’s still a lover girl at heart. The upbeat, pop-infused “BMF” samples “The Girl from Ipanema,” adding a lovestruck cool breeze to the album. Meanwhile, she lets herself loose in “Diamond Boy,” a sultry track with a placid beat, channelling those infectiously intimate R&B vibes. A feature from Summer Walker would have elevated this song to new levels of seductiveness.

Empowering and cathartic, “My Turn” reveals that SZA’s not always the crybaby in her relationships. A breath of fresh air amidst the album’s dominant themes of back-and-forth struggles of moving on, there is a long-awaited shift in the power dynamic. “My turn to do the hurtin,” she vocalises vengefully, for once letting the other person bear the weight of the pain previously inflicted on her. Her self-reliance evolves further in “Another Life,” a standout track on LANA, delivering a powerful sequel to “Nobody Gets Me.” Whilst the latter ballad from SOS conveyed insecurity and self-doubt, “Another Life” marks SZA’s attempt to reclaim her lost identity: “I don’t wanna be just a shell of me.” Lush instrumentals complement her emotive vocals, which explode with raw emotion, capturing the bittersweet struggle of yearning for someone while letting them go.

Chat, is “30 for 30” a cohesive continuation of SOS, or just leftovers from Kendrick Lamar’s most recent GNX album? While it may not be their most notable collaboration to date, or the finest feature on the whole of SOS, “30 for 30” takes a playful and light-hearted detour from the emotional complexities that dominate the rest of the album. Channelling his “Not Like Us” energy, Kendrick calls for an end to the ‘sassy man apocalypse’: “Say you on your cycle, but he on his period too.” Simultaneously, SZA uses Gen Z-charged references and threatens to “fold a bitch, no yoga mat,” as she takes a backseat and lets her carefree energy be the main focus of the song.

While SZA hasn’t fully figured out life yet, we can’t blame her for trying to. SOS Deluxe: LANA reads as an honest diary, filled with conflicting emotions and contradictory actions. It captures the best and worst moments of someone who’s trying to navigate through the process of emotional reckoning. One thing is for certain, though - she hasn’t come this far in her musical journey by holding anything back, and we can admire her for that. As SZA continues to evolve through genre-blending and authentic self-expression, we’re excited to see what she’s got in store for us in the future - let’s just hope that it will arrive sooner next time.

written by AURELIJA A.