Acclaimed singer-songwriter SZA has teamed up with frequent longtime collaborator and labelmate Isaiah Rashad to join him on his latest release today. The new track, “Boy In Red,” is off Rashad’s latest album, It’s Been Awful, which also saw it’s release today, as Pitchfork reports. A visualizer for the track was released for the track, which can be found on YouTube.
The track features a short, hypnotically looping beat, with spaced out guitar strums and drumbeats. Vocalizations and even the sounds of wolves howling accompany Rashad’s lyrics, delivered in a hushed, sometime monotone voice. Voices constantly layer upon his vocals across the track, such as more dreamy sounding whispered voices and crowds chanting background lyrics. Around the minute mark a shouted “hey,” which not only brings a moment of clarity with the ending of the rest of the voices, but also begins SZA’s verse. Upon the return to the chorus, she also joins in singing the lyrics “back and forth/late nights beside you/I don’t know no pain/I’m here kissing nirvana” alongside the crowd. Towards the end, the first verse of the song repeats, with SZA dueting Rashad to bring the track to a close.
SZA and Rashad have been frequent collaborators starting with both artists’ debut under the Top Dawg Entertainment label in 2014. Their most recent collaboration prior to “Boy In Red” came on the song “Score,” off Rashad’s last studio album, 2021’s The House is Burning. Today not only marks their latest collaboration, but also the release of Rashad’s latest album. It’s Been Awful, the artist’s third studio album, saw it’s full release today.
Leave a Comment