Album Review: ‘Gemini Rights’ by Steve Lacy

The sound of the summer is finally here. ‘Gemini Rights’ by Steve Lacy is a joy to listen to. It's the Californian artist’s second studio album. With the 10-track record Sitting in at 35 minutes. 3 years and an ep later, fans finally got their teeth stuck into a new album.

The records rollout saw three singles released throughout the summer period. It couldn’t have gotten to a better start as the second single, ‘Bad Habit’, became a hit. The song got Mr Lacy to the very top on the ‘Emerging Artist List’ by Billboard. The track fills listeners with relation as he describes discovering the fact that a crush was interested until it was too late.

It seems that the guitarist is finally getting the recognition he absolutely deserves. The R&B artist was well known for his feature list with the likes of amazing musicians such as Tyler, the Creator and Kali Uchis.

The breakup album is blown away with its musical substance. From golden synths to mesmerising electric guitar riffs. Throughout the record, Lacy explains how his Gemini characteristics take over in the relationship. Especially on the song ‘Mercury’ which was the first single on this quality project.

The track which takes the cake is ‘Helmet’. Its raw ambient sound makes it sounds like a live performance. Lacy sings about his frustrations with his clingy ex-partner. The melody in this track just makes you captivated to press that replay button.

The highs on this album are hard to keep track of. Lacy's use of Soul and R&B throughout makes for a stunning listen. Each song holds its own and has a different vibe each time. The distorted ending of ‘Buttons’ is electric and the spacey hums at the end of ‘Cody Freestyle’ gives Kid Cudi a run for his money.

However, although a good track, ‘Give You The World,’ doesn’t feel like an album closer. The slow pace feel makes it sound like another album cut. It isn't a grand finale. If the album went out with an explosive finish leaving the listener mesmerised, it could’ve made this listening experience even better.

A fantastic statistic for the album is that Steve produced eight out of the ten tracks. And as the instrumentations carry major weight throughout its runtime, it shows how brilliant of a musician Mr Lacy truly is.

The record sounds flawless throughout its entire runtime. And that’s the major plus. Lacy has embedded an album that will entice fans to return to his next piece of work. With the album's positive rhythms and sunny instrumentals, a listen throughout this heatwave is highly recommended.

8/10.

Gemini Rights is out now. For fans of Tyler the Creator’s, ‘Igor’ and Frank Ocean’s, ‘Blonde.’