LAST YEAR WAS WEIRD, VOL.2: ALBUM REVIEW

Tkay Maidza’s artistry is easily defined with a singular term: chameleon. In the 23-year-old’s sophomore EP, Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2, Maidza paints an image of her highest inner-self with an assortment of musical hues and shades. From industrial hip hop to nostalgic dream pop, each track transcends genres and time. And it almost works — each track attempts to blend seamlessly into one well-crafted piece of art, but their musical intensity makes it challenging to curate a sonically cohesive album. Tkay Maidza’s strength evidently manifests itself in her sonorous vocals that fuse harmoniously with each stylistically diverse sound.

As the second installment in her EP trilogy, Maidza’s musical artistry in Vol. 2 experiments with darker instrumentals, whereas its precursor, Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 1, was not as bold. Taking musical influences from reggae, Vol. 1 is an easy and tranquil listen, with the exception of “Flexin” featuring DUCKWRTH. If that happens to be your favorite pick from the tracklist, Vol. 2 is curated perfectly for your ears.

In its entirety, Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 is the ideal album to drive forward a narrative of healing and the adoption of a bad bitch persona. Accompanied by a thick bassline and gritty mechanical synthesizers, tracks such as “Grasshopper” and “Awake,” featuring JPEGMAFIA, drive this bad bitch narrative forward. With just one listen, you will feel the urge to strap on leather boots and swing a bat into the windows of your enemy’s new car. Not only are these songs sonically explosive, but Maidza further propels them with her own explosive energy, proving that she extends beyond the limitations of a singular genre. She possesses a magical quality: the ability to musically adapt to the genres of R&B, rap, and pop without sacrificing too much of her vocal flair.

The Zimbabwean Australian rapper-singer entered the musical scene in high school when she began freestyling as a hobby. Raised in a home of musicians, she recorded songs on the laptop of her father, Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Andy Brown, but was committed to an architecture program in university. Finding the college experience “spiritually unfulfilling,” she found solace in producing music and uploading her creations, such as “Brontosaurus,” and covers onto Youtube, where she gained popularity for her talents.

Serving as a strong opener to the EP is “My Flowers,” an empowering mantra of self-acceptance and embracement accompanied by lo-fi beats. As Maidza discusses the contrasting perspectives within herself, she shares, “I have some days where I be feelin’ low, I gotta look within and be persistent.” The song radiates healing energy for those experiencing the human condition, but in a way that not many artists know how to do. Maidza abstains from lacing her lyrics with elements of toxic positivity. She does not encourage listeners to simply alter their outlook to “positive vibes only” for life improvement. On the contrary, she truthfully reminds us that some of our flowers grow and some fold. It is all a matter of how we nurture our flowers amidst a prolonged drought or deluge.

With its groovy bassline, wavy synthesizers, and Maidza’s honey-like sweet vocals, “PB Jam” is a blissful, transcendent experience. It is an addictive listen — once you start, you cannot stop. You find yourself craving more of “honey milky bars” and “peanut butter jam” with each passing minute. As a college student in the midst of finals season, I gravitated to this song from the album the most because it radiates serenity and lightness. Up until this point of the album, Maidza sent me through a musically stimulating experience, but “PB Jam” is the exact sound I needed to rejuvenate.

It is easy to picture the musical mood board that functioned as an inspiration for a few tracks off of LYWW Vol. 2, such as “24K.” Accompanied by bouncy, house beats reminiscent of KAYTRANADA, Maidza’s hypnotic, infectious flow reigns above all else. Similarly, “Shook” contains signature elements of the one and only Missy Elliott — the funky, pulsating melodies and fun rhythmic patterns. Beyond the recognizable musical influences of these tracks, Tkay Maidza does not let this interrupt her artistic flow. Her ability to be bold remains true as ever.

Maidza delivers through each song on Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2, establishing her voice as a credible artist who can ultimately experiment with any sound she chooses to. She orchestrates herself to adapt to the varying moods and tones depicted in the EP, compensating for the absence of a sonic cohesion. She is not bound to preexisting notions of what composes the genres of R&B and hip hop. By textbook definition, Tkay Maidza is still in her musical infancy. Nevertheless, it is clear that her artistic craft extends musical conventions and limitations. Through each track, Tkay Maidza holds true to her statement, “I came, I don’t play by the book.”