SZA releases ‘CTRL’ deluxe on the album’s 5th anniversary

SZA is one of the biggest and most beloved artists of today. The first lady of TDE released one of the most quintessential albums in 2017 with CTRL and she’s now added seven new tracks to hold fans over till her next project. We’ve been dying for new SZA music and it’s finally here. Will we ever actually get a new standalone project? At this point, who knows.

Anyway, enough introductions, here are HUNGER’s top 10 SZA songs…

10. Babylon ft. Kendrick Lamar

This was the first time SZA and labelmate Kendrick Lamar hopped on a track together and kickstarted their incredible musical chemistry. From her album Z, this cloudy alternative R&B track establishes her ethereal essence that shines throughout her music. Its raspy and ghostly sounds put you in a trance, almost allowing you to lose yourself in the twisted and manipulated production.

9. Love Galore ft. Travis Scott

SZA enlists Travis Scott for “Love Galore” —a song where she touches on cravings for a past lover, rebirth after a regretful relationship, and putting herself first after a loveless affair. The melodies from this one have been stuck in our minds ever since the first listen. Scott’s woozy autotuned soaked vocals are unusually emotive and bring out a thankfully personal side of the Houston star.

8. Broken Clocks

SZA reminisces about the imbalance between her love and working life, with the epiphany that her romance interfering with her schedule only acted out as foreshadowing of her eventually being independent. SZA says she’s ‘burning daylight,’ working so hard at her job and in her love life and she is reaching a breaking point. 

7. Child’s Play ft. Chance The Rapper

SZA’s talent for finding the perfect feature to complete her vision is highly underrated. On Child’s Play, I don’t think any other artist could have matched the energy of the nostalgic, hypnotic production. Of course, SZA absolutely kills the track too, this time going for a more low-key and sombre delivery as she takes a look into the simplicities of life before adulthood.

6. 20 something

SZA bares her soul on this track. Admitting that she doesn’t have her life together, hoping she keeps all her friends, and doesn’t have her love life together either. Although sombre, it wraps up the album perfectly as she comes to terms with not being perfect. She realises that she’s only young and no one has it all figured out, so neither should she.

5. Julia 

Julia sees SZA experiment with traditional 90’s pop synths with a beat that will have you instantly bopping your head. The lyrics, on the other hand, tackle themes of heartbreak and the inevitable disappointment of relationships. The song is named after Julia Roberts, of which SZA is a huge fan. Speaking to Mass Appeal she said: “Julia Roberts is the baddest bitch that’s ever lived. Pretty Woman is my favourite movie by far. I don’t know why I connect with her so much, but it’s the best movie ever.”

4. Garden

On “Garden”, SZA expresses her need for emotional vulnerability and support in a relationship while questioning whether she is worth it and deserving of it. It’s one of the more upbeat tracks on CTRL featuring booming 808’s and rattling high hats as well as an incredibly animated vocal performance throughout. When discussing the track at VEVO Halloween, SZA stated: “I wrote this as one of the older versions of me, but not that old, from the new me to the old me to someone that I needed for the old me.”

3. The Weekend

The Weekend is arguably the most instantly recognisable track from SZA’s magnum opus. SZA has said that this song is about three women, not just two, all of whom are being played by the same man. However, one decided that they did not care. The song serves to empower women above the idea of a man as the centre of all of their actions. In positioning all the women in this one man’s life as being aware of what they want from him, diffuses his lies to them and makes him look like the foolish one.

2. Drew Barrymore

You probably saw this one coming but yes, Drew Barrymore is the best track from CTRL. It portrays a seemingly sombre, unassured version of SZA, with the lyrics indicating low self-confidence, especially in a relationship that is so unbalanced. The song speaks on both dealing with insecurity and questions companionship along with self-worth. 

1. Good Days

Now, you may think putting her most recent song might have something to do with recency bias. However, ‘Good Days’ is filled with unmatched quality. From the instantly memorable chorus to the angelic vocals sprinkled throughout it will truly go down as a classic. Unlike much of SZA’s music, here she ditches the negative dwelling on the past and present and is looking to the future, to those ‘Good Days’ we’re all seeking. Now that’s something I think we can all get behind.