I am a concert-going girl but this one was long overdue. I have been obsessed with SZA ever since CTRL came out in 2017 and I have just been waiting for the opportunity to listen to these songs live. It also doesn’t hurt that I think SZA is the most beautiful human being to walk this Earth. This concert makes it to the top ten days in my entire life so my blog post is the CONDENSED version of the album review I texted my friends after SZA’s new album, SOS, was released.
SOS (8.5/10): Such a good way to start the album. I love the beat combined with the choir in the background. The mix of rapping and singing was too good. Plus she referenced Beyoncé at the end, so extra points for that. This got me excited for the rest of the album.
Kill Bill (7/10): Catchy, a message I love, fun chorus. But. It was overrated compared to the other bangers on the album. There’s no way this is the best song on the album, maybe not even top 5. It’s good, it’s just not my favorite, and the number of people who say it’s their favorite song annoys me.
Seek & Destroy (9/10): THIS IS SO GOOD. It loses a point because it’s repetitive but I don’t mind. I don’t really understand the message of the song, but I don’t even care because I like it so much.
Low (10/10): This will most likely be ranked #1. The pace, the best drops, Travis Scott in the background, the lyrics. THE CHORUS. I have a whole dance party to this song every time I shower. This is a masterpiece. Indisputable.
Love Language (9/10): Definitely top 3. Surprisingly, I like that it’s slower. I like the instrumental. This song is just so pretty. Very soothing. The end! SHE SAMPLES HERSELF. It took a minute to realize what song it was but Hit Different did in fact hit differently.
Blind (7.5/10): Love the verses and chorus, but I’m not the biggest fan of the bridge. When she’s singing the word Blind, I think it’s pretty and fun but the parts leading up to that kinda annoy me. She also says the word dysfunction weirdly at 1 minute 38 seconds and it just stands out every time.
Used (8/10): The first 42 seconds of the song? pure gold. Don’s part is good but compared to SZA, it’s slightly disappointing. As soon as SZA starts singing again, I get all excited and I just don’t think the chorus keeps that same energy. It’s also kinda short.
Snooze (8.5/10): I REALLY LIKE THIS SONG. I like the verses and the chorus is good. It’s a chill song.
Notice Me (8.5/10): At first, I didn’t like this song but it QUICKLY grew on me. I feel like this song keeps me on my toes because her flow changes multiple times and it’s just a really fun song. And it goes full circle from the album’s start with the boat signaling SOS at the end of the song.
Gone Girl (6.5/10): I like the song, but I’m not a fan of the bridge. It’s a chill song, I really like the choir in the chorus. I give it an extra half point because I REALLY like how it changes 3 minutes 8 seconds.
Smoking on my Ex Pack (7/10): I’m not used to hearing SZA Drake-style rap, but I think the lyrics are good. It’s very short though.
Ghost in the Machine (6/10): It’s not that the song is bad. Eh, it’s good but it’s not great. I like that Phoebe girl’s part though, which is why this is a 6 and not a 5.
F2F (3/10): There are no circumstances under which I would voluntarily listen to this song. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard but I skip it every single time.
Nobody Gets Me (8.5/10): I cry to this song fr. It’s majestic. SZA is so good at writing songs that are relatable and this is one of them. It’s slow though so it’s not going to be my favorite, but it’s a good song for the style of song that it is if that makes sense.
Conceited (5/10): I don’t like this song at all. It’s giving pop and not in the way I like. Repetitive in a way I don’t like, the chorus is horrible. Me me me me, lowkey pisses ME off.
Special (7/10): The message and the relatability are good. It’s just that the lyrics are so surface-level. It’s a good song, it’s just the way she phrases the chorus is just like. Idk.
Too Late (10/10): YES. THIS SONG IS SO GOOD. TOP 3. THE BEAT DROP. UNTOUCHABLE. THE CHORUS, VERSE, EVERYTHING. FIRE. No touching this song fr.
Far (8.5/10): Ok, this review has reminded me just how much I like this song. It’s repetitive but not in an annoying way. My favorite part is at 2 minutes 13 seconds.
Shirt (9.5/10): Duh. This song has been gas. It just doesn’t get old. I LOVE LOVE the beat, the chorus, and this song. It would be a perfect 10 but the outro is a whole lot of nothing.
Open Arms (8.5/10): I really love this song, the guitar on this song is different from every one of the other songs on the album. Sza’s verses are VERY good. The end of Travis Scott’s part is better than the beginning but it’s good the whole way through. I think the end of the actual song is very pretty but what’s with the tribal music?
I Hate U (5.5/10): I don’t like the chorus at all and it makes it hard for me to enjoy the rest of the song. I like the verse but it is a song I’ll stay skipping.
Good Days (8/10): It’s kinda old which is why it’s not all that to me anymore. It’s a good song! love the instrumental. Kinda long though.
Forgiveless (9.5/10): I had never listened to this song until Helena played it for me in the bathroom at Faye’s house and we danced around BUT I LOVE IT SO MUCH so full credit to her. Ending the album with a banger. Although, the intro and outro are kinda weird. The beat, THE CHORUS, her flow, this song is everything.
Lulu!
As luck would have it, I’m listening to “Nobody Gets Me” right now, so I’m taking it as a sign to comment on this blog. That song gets me in the feels so hard, so I’ll recover by enjoying your amazing blog. I only recently discovered SZA after her recent SOS, so I appreciate the guide on how to appropriately appreciate her genius.
Although I don’t consider myself a fan, I gave the album a listen because it felt like the right move. And it definitely was. In all honesty, I don’t remember a lot of these songs that you’ve outlined here so beautifully. I can tell you though that SZA was a gateway to shifting my Spotify algorithm, and my daily mixes are a lot more entertaining these days because of it.
My personal favorites are the ones I’d hear on the radio or social media more often, meaning Kill Bill, Blind, and Nobody Gets Me. Kill Bill just opens the door for me to say some outrageous things when I’m singing along; instead of I might kill my ex, my parodies end up being slightly more out of pocket, if you will. But that just makes it so much more enjoyable; the beat is fueling my creative juices in the best way. Blind is defined almost entirely by how she sings “Blind”, and it’s spawned some amazing social media content. But the verse also slaps, and there’s a motion to it that makes loving the song compulsory.
I’ll be sure to put on Too Late and some of your other favorites sometimes soon. In the meantime, thanks for another great read!
Hey Lulu, I love this blog post! It is super intriguingand interesting. I’m so happy you are a SZA stan, I love her so much! I honestly feel that SZA has never released a bad album or songs-all of her songs will be a forever hit. Honestly, the little snippets of real conversations she has by the end of her song are super good. One of my favorites is when she said “how do I deal with rejection. I’ve been dealing with a lot of rejection…it makes me feel very small”. Like honestly she is so real which is what I love about her. F2F is my favorite song on the album. How do you not like it? It is literally so good. Smoking on my ex pack and ghost in machine are also AMAZING! How are these not 9 or 10/10. Also Concieted? It is such a girl boss song and hypes me up how is it a 5/10? Dang lulu….I have to disagree with a lot of these. I do love Low…it is such a chill song but also just so perfect. Honestly, I love SZA and I am a big fan of all of her songs. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Lulu! I love SZA — Ctrl is one of my favorite albums ever — so I really enjoyed reading your reviews of SOS. I love how vulnerable her lyrics are and how many different styles of music she draws on. Your post inspired me to go listen to the album again! I totally agree with you about Seek & Destroy (love the “now that I’ve ruined everything” part) and Low (so good). I hadn’t really listened to Snooze before this, but I just did and I’m a big fan — I really like the beat and the melody and her voice is gorgeous in it.
I do want to defend F2F though!! Grace put me on to it and I think it’s such a fun track; I’m a big fan of the rock style she went for on it. Screaming “Get a rise out of watching you fall” when the guitars kick in at the chorus is pure bliss.
Two songs SZA’s featured on that I’ve had on my playlist recently are West Savannah by Isaiah Rashad and Coming Back by James Blake — a little bit of a different vibe, but the first one is such a banger and I really like SZA’s verse on the latter.
Lulu,
You cannot imagine how jealous I am of you that you went to a SZA concert!! I have also been obsessed with SZA for quite a while (maybe not as long as you though). Just the picture you put of her makes the concert look amazing, like she floating down from heaven.
I am surprised that you said Kill Bill is overrated. As someoen who definitely overplays the song, I cannot imagine getting tired of it! As for one of your highest ranked song, Low, I feel like it would only have been a 10/10 or higher if Travis Scott made a surprise feature. But who am I to talk, I was not there.
When looking at how you scored the songs overall, I am pretty surprised. There are definitely songs which are much lower than I expected. Like F2F being an 3 and I Hate U being 5.5?? I was just expecting that most songs will be scoring in the high eights and maybe the occasional six.
I do have a couple questions about the concert. In every picture I have seen it is just SZA flying in the sky on some type of platform, were there any dancers? I definitely feel like some of her faster paced songs could use a dancer or two.
Once again, I am ultra-jealous that you went to the SZA concert but I am super happy you had a good time!