It’s Not U It’s Meh
[Video]
[5.67]
Ian Mathers: Miller tips her hand a bit more elsewhere, but “I don’t want you blaming yourself, it’s bad for your health” and “I’m sure someone’s gonna love you, not me” as performed feel perfectly balanced between snark and genuine tenderness, which means this feels like it’d fit perfectly for any number of different types of “I’m leaving you for me” breakups, from regretful to gleeful. Even 6LACK is more entertaining than I’m used to, although I may be swayed by how much I love the conceit in the video that our singer is confused and a little distressed by the sudden appearance of a guest.
[7]
Alfred Soto: It took a couple listens to hear the way derision shades affection in Bea Miller’s line, “I don’t want you blaming yourself, it’s bad for your health.” Fortunately, 6LACK’s perfunctory work helps the prosecution.
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: What isn’t nicked from Thank U, Next is nicked from “Are You That Somebody.” There’s worse source material, I guess.
[5]
Stephen Eisermann: The track is hot and both Bea and 6LACK sound at home bouncing along to the crisp beat, but you really have to look past the juvenile and uninteresting verses. Even the vocal tics and style is weird, but there is definitely swag dripping off the track and really, for a song with “U” instead of “you” in the title that’s a best case scenario.
[6]
Tim de Reuse: Ticklish and triumphant, with just enough of a swell in the final chorus to feel like it was going somewhere. The downside: after more than one listen, the self-satisfied bounce of the melody is bound to get stuck in your head and grate on your nerves for a full day.
[6]
Alex Clifton: “Self love ain’t selfish,” sings 6LACK, and thankfully this song doesn’t feel super narcissistic like I feared. If anything, it takes a while to get that confidence and swagger down–the beat in the chorus helps immensely–but once it starts chugging along it’s a rare self-empowerment album that feels decently empowering. I still wouldn’t be able to pick Bea Miller’s vocals out of a lineup of modern pop stars (either it’s generic or I’m not following the charts well enough like an old person, you pick a reason) but this was a nice surprise.
[5]