Say ‘Yeah’ to Steve Lacy’s Third Album “Oh yeah?”

Fittingly associated with the glory days of online expression, in part thanks to his original group name, former member of The Internet, Steve Lacy, has come far from the virtual nostalgia surrounding his SoundCloud remnants—many of which were incorporated on 2020’s The Lo-Fis compilation. Highlights of his past work live on in my memory, like “Dark Red” which I can recall adamantly ‘Shazam’-ing at my older cousin’s grad party. The new Lacy record, Oh yeah?, has glossy cover art that makes you look twice at its design, like an optical illusion of gray strawberries that appear red, of course with his refreshingly symmetrical face card at the forefront reflecting tranquility, comedown, and longing in its gaze…Depicting nuanced affections in one still-shot was broken down as an art form by Lana Del Rey when she spoke of portraying a keen sense of attitude on her, similarly formatted title-wise, most recent album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’s pout. 

The inclusion of multiple of my own personal heroes as features is immediately alluring, and the figure of speech title has a smirk to it, pairing readily with Steve’s lovably cocky sensibilities which anyone familiar with his music knows. Note how casually he delivers a mood, with ease even on demos, proving sometimes an artist’s peculiar knack for relatability shines best when stripped back, as a male narrator states in the intro to, fellow indie-rocker, Liz Phair’s beta version of her hit “Polyester Bride,” saying, “Right now here’s something… If I could borrow a Bill Berger term… real lo-fi, but also really good.”

Track one, “oh yeah?” starts with the effect of credits rolling at an A24 flick’s premiere with clean production, making miniscule gaps in audio their own chance to recenter your attention, surely to the delight of the, recently back in the limelight via Charli xcx collaboration, John Cale, who pioneered considering silent spots a merit to musicology. The opener transports me to a neighborhood excursion of playmates rallying excitement door to door. Joined by SZA, “is it cool?” feels right at home with her, generally front and center, breathtaking voice more so packed into the amplified and pedaled guitar work. Lavish harmonies flow smoothly over gravely static. 

Stevie Wonder analogous vocal cries and Rufus-worthy, whomping bass transcends an entirely seventies notion on “the feeling.” As the music video and strings feel electrically inspired, the tune is canonically unafraid to bring a softness to Lacy’s masculinity while simultaneously asserting just desserts. Like a kaleidoscope within which falsetto ballad qualities overpower even the highest strung viola outro, it is a mirage. The Erykah Badu feature on “pure colour” contributes to a dark, jazz palette. For lack of a better word, her input is trippy, which comes as no surprise, considering her forays into the psyche across projects, especially warped when approaching culture from a meta vantage like on the But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape. Completely transcendental as the motion pulsates like wounded footsteps inside the soundscape of a tornado, like one that has caught a Gameboy stuck on the Animal Crossing loading screen, track four permanently spins with buried twee. The delightful parts hide behind depression, “My want for you runs deep as Hell… My family thinks I’ll be my father.”

Vindicating his thorough ability to create as a grand romantic, the croons on “show you me” have a well formatted flow along the skipping pace. More beeping occurs, holding at a single pitch, as Steve ponders his own feelings of glee trapped by pitfalls of insignificance: “Are you even gay? ‘Cause you seem so fun. Loved the new tattoo, maybe we should meet.” The witty barbershop quartet performability is Beach Boys level admirable. On “doom,” lyrics are fully reckless due to self awareness of generational faults while pining for catharsis in future relationships. Akin to Grace Ives’ stylings on “Stupid Bitches,” from her 2026 project that I reviewed in full for Staged Haze, this decade’s cinematic traits are further established when it comes to preaching young philosophy over segmented charms like mellotron undulation. Track six has a breakdown that tracks as either soft grunge or folk rock, depending on your concentration paid to the subject matter; irregardless, melancholy soothes as painstaking, quiet organ fades into ‘atmospheric whooshing’—a term of ambience often associated with film composer, David Lynch’s right-hand man, Angelo Badalemti, whose synthesizer collection came to mind earlier in my listening journey of Oh yeah? due to the consistently airy pressure. 

By the start of “nothing” I had to fight my inclinations to sit down at the piano bench and play along by ear because of the improvisationally compelling, instant singalong structure. Gorgeous simplicity of acoustic guitar and not-quite yodels allow for playfully Sade-esque expression. It is absolutely stellar how a piece so laidback can evoke heartbreak even before its blooming mechanics shimmer to completion. My goosebumps had me run the dramatics back before moving onward, “When we don’t speak for awhile, I get feral like I’m out of water.” Track eight, “lovesexdrugbomb,” featuring Cecile Believe, grows on you by the end of its “Hotling Bling” weary percussion and 10/10 unison of wording plus guitar. The title has a Prince vibe to it and the animated quality reminds me heavily of Zack Villere’s peak release Cardboard City. 

The long lasting impact of the forward-slashed-title-sibling highlight, “Outro Freestyle/4ever” from Lacy’s debut, APOLLO XXI gave me high hopes when going into “nice shoes / in your world.” The excerpt is a smoky, drum-and-bass exploration of lust that couples pure soul on the latter half with a lounge-y, pun intended ‘channel-ing’ of his peer Frank Ocean’s suaveness. Finale, “bebe” has innate frivolity for the jukebox, since bass-laden theatrics are sung chipper despite inscribed reservations: “I’m hexed goddamit!” Track ten was another moment where I questioned how a follow-up to the viral and Grammy-awarded Gemini Rights could be so close to perfect, and then it was all over. 

Another album, with lowercase typefacing proving the old adage to not ‘judge a book by its cover’ true, baffles the listener by fitting so much raw energy into just ten songs–in my personal opinion the supreme length for an LP. Its premiere was attended by many diehards via livestream, and Steve Lacy’s audience has only grown following his distinct, fantastic tributes of performance for many greats’ own output: Solange, Vampire Weekend, Blood Orange, Kali Uchis, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, and more. On Oh yeah?, the legacy expands by virtue of experimental-R&B, final touches by Michael Uzowuru (Beyoncé, FKA twigs, Childish Gambino, Rosalía, Vince Staples, A$AP Mob…) plus Marius de Vries (Massive Attack, Björk, Madonna, P.J. Harvey, David Bowie, Rufus Wainwright…), as well as by reuniting with The Internet/Odd Future producer Matt Martians. Now touring the album in Asia, at South Korean/Japanese festivals, the hypebuilding for a legendary drop has only begun.

Oh yeah? by Steve Lacy is out now.