Following quickly on from last year's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert which blew up Simz from bubbling up from the underground to one of the UK's biggest current rappers, NO THANK YOU surprise dropped right at the end of last year with one weeks notice and no advanced singles - showing how big Simz has blown up (especially for an truly independent artist). The record follows up on a lot of the themes of SIMBI, but without the grandiose narrative and presentation - which follows a macro-level theme that runs through her entire discography of her struggle between the desire to make grand, artistic statements and her need to make music as an immediate emotional release to whatever challenges she may be facing. Her second album (Stillness In Wonderland) was very much a prototype for the grand narrative of self-preservation in the musical landscape that SIMBI took much further, whereas GREY Area was far more raw and immediate - mainly addressing the feelings of betrayal from a messy break up. The most obvious example of Simz' need to just let it out was the Drop 6 EP, which released just over a month after the UK went into lockdown in 2020 and is one of the first examples of a 'pandemic release' I can think of.
NO THANK YOU feels like very much an amalgamation of Simz' last three releases. Inflo returns as producer and brings back a lot of the orchestral and jazzy instrumentation that made SIMBI feel so dramatic; however Simz' takes on the album are far more targeted and personal akin to GREY Area, and the whole release strategy and general off-the-cuff feel to the record is reminiscent of Drop 6. While having it's merits (none of SIMBI's melodramatic interludes, and certainly Simz' densest set of lyrics), I do feel this approach isn't necessarily the best of both worlds. The identity of the record can feel a little muddled at times, like it's caught between the two artistic directions that Simz has been flipping between for years. The majority of the tracks are long, which allows for Simz to really delve into the topics of each track, and for Inflo to add tons of gorgeous flourishes to each instrumental (including swooning orchestral swells and gospel choir backing vocals); but they don't always quite connect together. The long track lengths also mean the pacing isn't quite as spot on as Simz usually is. On first listen the order of the tracklist made the album felt like more like a mixtape. The album opens with Angel, which is the most forward looking and positive song on the album; which is then followed by Gorilla, and swaggering bop with its jazzy bass-line and Simz' elastic flow. From Silhouette to to Broken, the album gets progressively darker and more depressing with absolutely no levity. Then after Broken, the album ends with three much shorter tracks that don't feel nowhere near as dense and monumental as the previous seven. It makes the album feel a little wonky, like it just sort of limps out after several 5min+ behemoths.
Despite the slightly off pacing, each of the first seven tracks are all really great when taken on their own merits. The aforementioned Angel opens up the record with a low-key, watery synth loop, Simz sounding very chill and laidback on the mic and the always brilliant Cleo Sol cropping up for soulful hook. The track sets the scene for the themes of the record: Simz' struggle fighting the exploitation of her art by the people surrounding her in the music business (apparently she split with her long time manager this year), and the black experience in general and the cycles of trauma and lack of support in black working class communities. After brief detour through the self-assured Gorilla, Silhouette returns to the themes established on Angel, treating the idea of betrayal as people becoming silhouettes of themselves, moving out of the clear vision of them that you thought they were. The track could have very easily fit on SIMBI, with its combination of a funk rhythm and grand orchestral flourishes. No Merci takes the orchestral swells and pairs them with a more hard hitting hip hop beat for a more direct takedown of industry BS.
X goes broader around the themes of institutional racism, and the idea of what it means to be a successful minority - and the responsibility and guilt Simz feels for essentially making it when so many don't. The gritty beat and gospel backing vocals make the song feel fit for a movie soundtrack. Heart On Fire is a little shorter than the previous tracks, but Simz' performance is so scaving and raw. The second verse is particularly impactful as Simz details how she lost sight of what she wanted to get out of making music, relying on milestones and financial goals to find some purpose. Broken is definitely the grand centrepiece to the record, as Simz ditches the music industry BS to break down mental health issues at a much more relatable and down to Earth level. The song is framed around minority communities (Simz outright states "Why is mental health a taboo in the black community?"), but the lyrics are universal enough that can relate to anyone struggling. The backing vocals repeatedly singing "When you feel broken and you don't exist / When you feel broken and you cannot fix it" really struck a nerve on first listen.
After all the heaviness, Sideways comes in with a warped soul sample and Simz sounding the most content since Angel at the start of the record. I do like the song, and it is very much needed at this point in the record; however it's barely over 2 minutes and feels somewhat underdeveloped compared to what comes before it on the album. Extending the song and adding some more instrumental layers / switch ups would have definitely pulled the song up closer to the quality of the previous songs. Following this is Who Even Cares, a washed out and effect laden synth funk song that really lacks any intensity or much depth despite how vibey it comes across on the surface. Similarly, the closer, Control, feels quite underwhelming, being a simple piano balled that doesn't really feel like it ties up the albums themes and message particularly well.
While not quite at the same level of consistency and attention to detail as Simz past couple of albums, there is still so much good stuff here that its well worth your time. It's certainly darker and heavier, so requires a more deliberate listen than the likes of GREY Area and SIMBI (and therefore I doubt it will be in constant rotation for me after years the way those two albums are), but investing your brain in the meaty lyrics will definitely reward you.
Top Tracks: Angel, Gorilla, Silhouette, No Merci, X, Heart On Fire, Broken
8/10
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