Solana Rowe, more commonly known as the Singer/ Songwriter SZA, has released her newest album SOS 5 years after her first studio album CTRL. With 23 new tracks on the album, we have to acknowledge the sheer versatility SZA has presented us with: from tracks like ‘F2F’ providing a 2000s Avril Lavigne feeling but also her mastery of old school R&B vibes with her song ‘Love Language’. The song incorporates Aaliyah’s “I don’t wanna” and SZA’s hit song “Hit different”, a collaboration with TY Dollar Sign. It was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to the top ten best songs, proving that this whole album is worth listening to.

10. ‘Love Language’

In this song, SZA begs for better communication and the importance of love language with her partner, however, he is too closed off and playing with her heart. She immediately starts the mid-tempo flow song with the line “Patience ain’t no virtue with you” immediately emanating her anger and heartache, a SZA classic. This immediately makes it relatable to all, and overall, a very good song.

9. ‘Shirt’

‘Shirt’ is the 4th most played song on the alum with 130,000 streams currently on Spotify. I would argue that this shows SZA most in her ‘villain era’ with lines like “feel the taste of resentment simmer in my skin” but then immediately enters her judgemental side, surprisingly not on her ex, but to herself.  “Still don’t know my worth, still stressing perfection”. SZA perfectly mirrors the wavering emotions of us all, especially in relationships, making this such a relatable song.

8. ‘Seek & Destroy’

This catchy song highlights her needs and desires to seek and destroy her ex, her desire for revenge, a common theme in SOS. With the chorus hook being “Do it to you” makes the song blunt and deliberate, juxtaposing the captivating melody backing the lyric. She seems almost proud of her actions “Now that I ruined everything, I cannot complain”, once again, radiating typical SZA bad girl energy that we all know and love.

7. ‘Open Arms’

‘Open Arms’ is a song like no other on the album. This song finally shows SZA happy, with “Open arms” for her new partner. It is a truly beautiful song on which we finally see SZA happy, making sense that it would be at the end of the story-like album. The most special part about this song is Travis Scott. He leaves his world of fast and upbeat Rap to join SZA in hers where the song is slow paced R&B, which he does very well.

6. ‘Good Days’

‘Good Days’ was released on the 25th of December 2020, explaining why it is the most streamed song on the album. It is a truly alluring piece of art: from the creative nature soundscape and the back up singers at the end, binding into a whirlwind of emotions poured out from this song. “Safe to step out” is the one line that truly sticks with me because we can all relate to having bad days, and SZA finds her melancholic thoughts and manages to spin it around, making this song so special.

5. ‘Gone Girl’

In this bittersweet track, SZA wants the respect and space she needs from her partner with the lines “I need your touch, Not your scrutiny”. But ultimately, she has been denied and frustrated, leading her partner to lose her. She is a “Gone Girl”. This is possibly one of the most ethereal tracks on the album, yet again, showing the sheer versatility of SZA in this new album.

4. ‘Blind’

‘Blind’ was first introduced to listeners at the end of the ‘Shirt’ music video. In this song, SZA feels weak after seeking validation from everyone around her. In the thoughts of loneliness, she bursts out the lines “It’s so embarrassing, all of the things I need”. She tries to neglect her feelings, of course referencing being “Blind”. This song is incredible because it uses soft and faint tones to contrast with the utter power in her voice and what she is communicating.

3. ‘kill Bill’

It would surprise some that this song is third. “Kill Bill” is arguably one of the most popular songs on the album, with masses of TikTok popularity and 170,00 streams on Spotify alone. This song is truly SZA in her element. With the catchy chorus “I might kill my ex, not the best idea, his new girlfriend’s next, how’d I get here”. She is clearly out for blood and sticks with that atmosphere to the very end “rather be in jail than alone”. The irony of her anger backed by the lulling background makes this song a force to be reckoned with.

2. ‘F2F’

This song is incredible. It steps out of what SZA was and shows her listeners who she can become. ‘F2F’ is one of the most different pieces we have ever heard from SZA, showing her love for 2000s pop – punk Avril Lavigne vibes. Co-written with SZA’s friend and artist Lizzo gives a raw and freeing backdrop for her true jealous emotions that we see in the lines “Get a rise out of watching you fall, get a kick out of missing your calls”. She pours out the corruption and toxicity in her soul out onto this track that we can all understand. However, what makes this grunge song so outside of the box is because she explores a different genre and totally captures the essence she needed to create. This is such a versatile album and I think we can all agree ‘F2F takes first place for sheer versatility.

1. ‘Low’

Finally, we have reached our number one: ‘Low’. ‘Low’ is my favourite song because it perfectly captures SZA. SZA is all about sarcasm and turning pain into anger rather than facing it, something we all want and take comfort in before acceptance, like she does in her song “Nobody Gets Me”. This is purely SZA’s vibe that we all take comfort in which is ironic given the high tempo, fast speed and sheer anger in this song. My favourite line in ‘Low’ is “Don’t call me…… Got another side of me, we like to get it Poppin”. Not only does this line show SZA in her true villain era, but it also shows she can be in multiple eras at a time, mirroring the album and the multitude of options within the tracks themselves but also as a whole album. Low is a poppy song with elements of rap that gives off SZA energy, exactly what we expected of her.