We also, it turns out, quite like Danish R&B.
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[6.75]
Katherine St Asaph: A Danish singer whose R&B is made nocturnal less via the usual fripperies than an insistent guitar pulse, one I’ve heard lately in more European tracks than America — I’m reminded of Kari Bremnes’s “Glem Ikkje,” or perhaps Jamie xx’s production on “Take Care.” The lyrics are scattered, hazy vignettes like the best parts of Solange’s True, adding to the unease.
[8]
Thomas Inskeep: Sleek, dark, new wave-influenced pop — this is very 1981 KROQ. Just listen to that guitar riff, not to mention Kwamie Liv’s breathy vocal.
[8]
Vikram Joseph: All nervous tension and strung-out ennui, this is an oddly compelling thing, driven not just by its fraught 4/4 electro-pop chug but also by Kwamie Liv’s intriguing lyrics. There’s a clear, kinetic attraction between the protagonist and her “New Boo”, but she’s unafraid to paint their late-night liaisons in complex, sometimes unflattering shades — she’s “drunk as a dog” getting into the car, hoping to be taken somewhere better (“I’m getting kinda tired of the city”) but knowing that it amounts to something far more transient than that. There’s a self-protective irony about the way she talks about her lover — “you’re always fucking coming to my rescue”, “I’ll introduce you, baby, as my new boo” — which betrays something about her true feelings. The anhedonic downer of an anti-chorus (“Don’t you look me in the eyes / I’ve been broken, I’ve been tired for a while”) suggests a darker side to her story; their late nights might end up with them intertwined, but this probably won’t end well.
[7]
Alex Clifton: Understatement is great, and a lot of “New Boo” reflects the tentativeness that comes with a new relationship; it’s like the tension of being on a first date and waiting for a kiss that may or may not come. It’s dripping in cool, and Kwamie Liv sounds sexy and detached over a killer bassline, but I wanted a little more drama and release towards the end a la “Do I Wanna Know?” that never arrives.
[6]
Edward Okulicz: “New Boo” has a prowling, almost predatory riff, and it sure knows how to deploy it. I’m not sure if Kwamie Liv is a sort of indie rock concern gone R&B, or an R&B-ish singer who’s gone for some alt-rock crossover, but her understated performance suggests she’s well-equipped for both. It’s lusty enough that I feel the eroticism, and also dark enough that you could believe Liv’s endgame here is rather more sinister than having a new boo.
[8]
Ramzi Awn: The drive behind “New Boo” is undeniable, and Kwamie Liv has just enough vision of her own to sell the song, but barely. She is incredibly talented, but Liv’s voice reads like a backup singer, not the headliner. And the overt homage to Lana Del Rey is way past its already precarious prime.
[6]
Will Rivitz: Metric is excellent, but they sound better if each member doesn’t take a quarter-pill of Xanax before popping into the studio.
[5]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a song so seductive and noirish that it induced shivers, but “New Boo” does just that, and it’s precisely because of its uncommon methodology. While most artists nowadays would be content with their vocals being submersed in all-consuming production, Kwamie Liv’s vocal delivery and lyrics take precedence here. Her tone is at once charmingly disaffected and doggedly assured, and her desire to escape her anhedonic state is felt in every line.
[6]