Little Simz makes another surprise release with the launch of her new EP, Drop 7 via Forever Living Originals/Awal Recordings. The collection comes a decade after the British rap luminary shared Drop 1 back in 2014, the beginning of a tradition that’s stretched across her discography and has resulted in some of her most experimentally raw music to date. She also hinted that more news is on the way and directed fans to sign up for her mailing list so they’re the first to know.
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Produced by frequent collaborator Jakwob, the seven tracks of Drop 7 run a gauntlet of characteristically merciless beats that splice together all the erratic influences that course through Little Simz at any given moment. On the oscillating opener “Mood Swings,” she side-steps drama with fierce aplomb, propelled by the track’s quaking exchange of drum and bass.
“I Ain’t Feeling” slows down those concussive sonics, muffling them behind a lucid rebuke of the haters: “now some people waitin’ on the day for me to fail,” she bites. “Never going back to bein’ broke, man, can’t you tell? / Talk behind my back and then they go into a shell.” Then there’s the heated kinetics that erupt from “Power,” lending a caustic edge to her flow and some hard-won wisdom: “Gotta keep my circle tight, I’m only rollin’ with the fewest / Like, I don’t fuck with that boy, he a Judas, Judas.”
But it’s the first half of the EP that bristles with the unorthodox tweaks and meldings that Little Simz loves to flex on these projects. A heady clang of rousing percussion quakes from “SOS” as she splits the collection in two: the bravado-soaked and spacious beats of “Fever” sweltering with the scenes and rhythms of São Paulo, while the aptly titled “Torch” flickers hypnotically as Little Simz stares down from the top of the mountain.
With Drop 7, we see Simz evolving with new dance-driven beats and sounds. While her slick lyricism and poetic verses remain, her words now ride along a sonic exploration that will make your body move and groove to a new beat that flourishes with organic rhythms made for the dance floor.
Words: Steven Ward
Drop 7 is out now and available to stream on all streaming platforms. Visit Little Simz on her website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Little Simz
Drop 7 EP
Forever Living Originals via Awal Recordings
February 9th, 2024
- Mood Swings
- Fever
- Torch
- SOS
- I Ain’t Feeling
- Power
- Far Away
