SZA’s “SOS” album review

Aine Bradley, News Writer| January 23, 2023

Nora Hamilton

“SOS” is composed of 23 tracks and 70 minutes of listening.

SZA fans, we won. After waiting five years, the album is definitely worth the wait. “SOS” dropped at midnight on Dec. 9. The albums central themes are love, betrayal, self doubt, jealousy and moving on.

This album is long, “SOS” is composed of 23 tracks and 70 minutes of listening. So, here are my top five favorite songs off this album in no particular order.

One of my favorite songs is “Kill Bill,” where SZA fantasizes about killing her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Something that stuck out to me was the bassline through the song. This is the perfect song to drive around and sing to in the car. SZA does a fantastic job with the lyrics, as the song directly ties to the movie “Kill Bill.” The premise of the “Kill Bill” stars  Uma Thurman’s character tries to exact revenge on her ex-lover after he tried to kill her years before. SZA sings “You was at the farmer’s market with your perfect peach, Now I’m in amazement, playin’ on my patience, Now you layin’ face-down, got me sayin’ over a beat.” 

I first heard “Blind” when SZA debuted it on SNL on Dec. 3. I was instantly obsessed and couldn’t wait for it to be released. The melody and the vocals keep the song light and airy, despite the song being about the pain she felt while in a toxic relationship. In the beginning of the song, SZA describes herself as a fighter, singing “Put the hood on, now they callin’ me Cassius,” a reference to famous boxer Muhammad Ali,born Cassius Clay Jr.. She makes this comparison to illustrate she’s fighting the relationship and all the complexities associated with it.

SZA teased “Shirt” on Instagram in Oct. 2020, and since then SZA fans have been waiting for its full release. “Shirt” blew up online, specifically TikTok. The song was originally unnamed, but fans on Twitter started to refer to it as “Shirt” and SZA decided to keep the name. Similar to “Blind,” this song explores another difficult relationship, where SZA writes about the strings attached to love and feelings. She also explores the experiences she went through throughout her relationship. She sings “It’s what you say and how you do me, How I’m ‘posed to trust, baby? ‘Posed to love? It ain’t supposed to hurt this way. All I need is the best of you. Baby, how I got to say it? Give me all of you.” 

I have to say that F2F is one of my favorite songs from “SOS”, as it reminds me of 90’s girl rock. It’s a very different sound from the rest of the album, definitely more rock than the R&B and soul sounds that dominate the other tracks on the album. Combined with the melody crescendoing in the background, the lyrics stand poignant. This song continues some of the central themes of the album. SZA touches on missing a past relationship and trying to get over that past lover as well as the hatred she has for herself, when in the chorus she sings, “I hate me enough for the two of us.”

Wow, if SZA’s songwriting hasn’t blown you, this song will. “Nobody Gets Me,” is an emotional track that details the relationship she had with her ex fiancé, and how even though she has a new lover, she still compares them to him. SZA sings “What’s left of you, How am I supposed to tell you, I don’t wanna see you with anyone but me? Nobody gets me like you, How am I supposed to let you go? Only like myself when I’m with you.” It’s clear SZA had a deep, emotional connection with her ex,  and now that he’s no longer in her life, their lack of communication leaves a gaping hole in her life.