SZA’s effervescent new album ‘SOS’ is finally here

“After five long years, the prospect of so much new material from one of modern R&B’s greatest talents is all too welcome.”

Few artists have ever stepped out as fully formed as SZA did on her 2017 debut Ctrl. Lyrically bold and sonically ambitious, Ctrl perfectly encapsulated the mid-twenties experience, with SZA’s brutally honest songwriting and unique vocal inflections asserting her as a generational talent. 

Bolstered by woozy R&B earworms like ‘Love Galore’ and ‘The Weekend’, the record instantly resonated with millions across the world, who were longing for her to release a sophomore project. A follow-up was confirmed just on the cusp of the pandemic, and then – radio silence.

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With the exception of a few collaborations, it would be years until SZA released any new solo material, with industry rumours rife that she and the manager of her record label TDE weren’t on good terms. For a minute there, it seemed like the long-awaited sequel to Ctrl might never come, with SZA taking to her socials to vent her frustrations with the rigours of the music industry on numerous occasions. 

Thankfully, that drought was broken in 2020 with two comeback singles: ‘Hit Different’ and the shimmering standout ‘Good Days’, which dominated mainstream charts for months after its release. 2021 proved to be even bigger for SZA, with her gloriously infectious feature on Doja Cat’s ‘Kiss Me More’ bringing more chart success and her first Grammy Award, while the simmering breakup jam ‘I Hate U’ exploded on TikTok and racked up huge streams to boot.

Excitement for a new album continued to build at the beginning of 2022, with SZA confirming that both ‘I Hate U’ and ‘Good Days’ would appear on her new record. While putting the finishing touches on her new project, a batch of seven previously unreleased tracks from her Ctrl era was released to commemorate the album’s fifth anniversary. It was a timely celebration, but it also felt like a new beginning. And from then on, SZA’s new era was in full swing. 

October saw the release of the hard-knocking, long-awaited single ‘Shirt’, which was initially teased at the end of the ‘Good Days’ music video, and days later, a cryptic promo dropped on her socials that featured a simple morse code message: SOS. It was time. The new album was finally ready, and hype was at its absolute peak. 

Just days ago, the evocative album artwork for SOS was released, and a tracklist arrived shortly after. For those fans who had to spend five laborious years hoping for a new record, it all seemed like it was worth the wait, with a staggering 23 tracks promised to land on streaming services come Friday. 

As well as including her four most recent singles, SOS features the Phoebe Bridgers collaboration ‘Ghost In The Machine’, which SZA personally described as “super alternative and weird’, while a feature from Travis Scott on ‘Open Arms’ promises to serve as a sequel to the pair’s key Ctrl cut ‘Love Galore’. Don Toliver also lends his distinctive vocals to ‘Used’, while a posthumous verse from the late Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard on ‘Forgiveless’ rounds things out in style.

After five long years, the prospect of so much new material from one of modern R&B’s greatest talents is all too welcome. It’s fair to say SOS might just be one of the most hotly anticipated records in recent memory, and with SZA currently operating at her creative peak, expect nothing but a classic. 

SZA’s new album SOS is out today via TDE/RCA Records. Head here to listen.