Little Simz’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

LITTLE SIMZ’S SOMETIMES I MIGHT BE INTROVERT

Little Simz is a 27-year-old British rapper whose breakout project GREY Area was released to critical acclaim and cemented her as one of the most talented up and coming MC’s in Britain. Having quickly blew up on TikTok, her single “Venom” — off the aforementioned album — allowed her to reach more mainstream success. Her new project comes at an important part in her career, as coming out of an album as great as GREY Area would be a tough task for her to achieve; but her new album meets those expectations and then some. As the namesake states, this album delves very deeply into Simz’s introversion.

From the jump, the intro track “Introvert” shows the theme of introversion, being brought up particularly in the second verse: “I sabotage what we are trying to build/’Cause of feelings I keep inside/but it’s time to reveal (Reveal, reveal)”. This is acting as a reference to feelings of self doubt and issues with confidence with which introverts often face. The instrumentals in this album are much brighter than the previous, but she does not refrain from addressing the pertinent social issues she had brought up in GREY Area. This becomes extremely apparent from this track: a rousing political anthem in which Simz addresses the wrong she’s seen throughout her life and the government’s ineptitude at handling it.

In addition, she has quite a few raw tracks in the album, such as “I Love You, I Hate You”. Sonically, it takes a detour from the beautiful instrumentals into a darker beat, with the song title repeated. The song details her relationship with her father, laying bare the trauma she’s endured under her family and the steps she has taken to move on.

Another track, “Little Q Part 2” utilizing a heavenly vocal loop and a relaxing jazz-rap beat, reveals her laying out her heart as she describes the time she was stabbed. She leaves no blame on the assailant, but rather shows how the material conditions in which she and many of her peers grew up can lead to this kind of situation. These tracks are succeeded by “Speed” and “Standing Ovation” where she takes time to reflect on how far she’s come as an artist; she is also found reveling in the fact that although she was counted out many times, she still remains steadfast in her career.

A standout track “Point and Kill” utilizes traditional South African instrumentation as we see Simz form an ultimatum of confidence in the chorus: “point and kill/if I want it, it’s mine/you can’t stop me.” She understands how much her lack of confidence has limited her, and ultimately for her to succeed, she must assert herself and chase her dreams head on. The themes of this song are fully realized in the next song “Fear No Man”, which also showcases South African instrumentation, as Simz is stating that she fears nothing; she knows what she’s capable of and she fully intends to make a lasting impression on the rap scene.

The last two tracks start with “How Did You Get Here”, a track where Simz recounts her life story and takes a moment to reflect upon her career, as well as the hardships she has endured throughout her life. The outro track “Miss Understood” is another mellow song which ends the album emotionally as Simz reflects on her relationship with her sister.

I was astounded by this album; the vast and sprawling instrumentation adds a level of grandeur in which I can’t help but to relish. Simz’s journey of exploring her introversion is not preachy, and she conveys the sense that her confidence is still developing. As an introvert, that’s something to which I can deeply relate. Some days our confidence can be through the roof, but on other days it’s hard to develop.

Simz tackles many new sounds in this album and knocks them out of the park. The 80’s synthesizer inflected “Protect My Energy” stands out as a particular favorite of mine. There’s a lot to unpack on this album; it’s clear that in the coming years and decades we will analyze and dissect it in many of the same ways great albums of the past have been. With all the albums released this year, this album strikes me as truly perfect and the best of them.