“Gemini Rights” by Steve Lacy Album Review

By: Olivia Freiss

If you know me–or just follow me on Instagram––then you know that I am a major Steve Lacy fan. I have been an active listener since his infamous GarageBand track “Dark Red” first blew up, and have been eagerly awaiting the release of his third album Gemini Rights, released on July 15th, 2022. Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, let’s explore Gemini Rights.

The album opens with “Static,” a track that directly highlights Lacy’s vocals through minimalist instrumentals: soft piano chords that are eventually joined by his signature guitar, low bass notes, and a quiet synthesizer. The track is gentle, dreamy, and melodic, an introduction into the space-like world that Lacy builds throughout the course of the album. The tone immediately shifts with “Helmet,” a funky track which brings in the first percussion of the album. Though “Helmet” still highlights Steve Lacy’s vocals, it definitely emphasizes the instrumentals more through the bouncing bass line, percussion, and synthesizers. I personally love the way Lacy uses synthesizers in this album. They take on a rather cosmic sound, a departure from his usual lo-fi or funk sound, giving the record a unique feel and playing into the celestial world of the zodiac. 

The third track, “Mercury,” was the first of three singles to be released. Though this song is titled after a planet, with Mercury being the ruler of Gemini in astrology, this track serves as the largest departure from the album’s cohesive, spacey sound. Generally speaking, “Mercury” is a sonic departure from much of Lacy’s previously released music, relying predominantly on sharp percussion, horns, and layered vocals for the instrumentals as opposed to guitar, bass lines, and lo-fi inspired beats. I really enjoy and respect the sonic experimentation on this album and I hope that he dives deeper into this more rhythmic approach in the future. 

Up next is “Buttons,” and as soon as this song started playing I instantly fell in love with it. The dreamy intro which quickly dissolves into a rich mix of bass, guitar, and simple, yet effective percussion draws you in immediately. Lacy’s stunning vocals tie it all together to create the perfect sultry love song. The distorted guitar and layered, echoed vocals towards the end of the track seem almost reminiscent of something that could fit on Childish Gambino’s “Awaken, My Love!”. “Buttons” is surely a standout track on this album, and it is followed by another stellar track, “Bad Habit,” which solidified its status as the song of the summer the moment Steve Lacy released it as a single back on June 29th. It’s upbeat, bouncing melody and lyrics that detail the ever-relatable story of the mutual inability to make the first move results in a track that you just can’t help but learn every word to. I genuinely have yet to meet someone who doesn’t absolutely love this song.

Following “Bad Habit” is “2Gether (Enterlude),” which brings us to the first feature on Gemini Rights, Matt Martians. You may know Martians as one of Odd Future’s founding members, as well as a member of The Internet––of which Lacy was also a major part of). This short but pretty interlude grounds the album back to a more lo-fi sound, especially with the addition of what sounds to be a vibraphone. The next song, “Cody Freestyle,” serves as a direct lyrical juxtaposition to “2Gether (Enterlude).” It’s a harsh renunciation of feelings for a man that Lacy had been seeing who was failing to reciprocate in the relationship, singing “If you not tryna put the leg work in / Please don’t bother me / Don’t depend on me, no / Are you following?” Sonically, this track is mostly made up of glittering synthesizers which complement the echoey, distant vocals well and rekindle that cosmic sound. 

If I am being honest, the track that stuck with me the least upon first listen was “Amber,” but now returning to it I love the simple beauty of it. It has this classic soul sound that Lacy modernizes through the incorporation of synthesizers and a funk-driven guitar. Lyrically, it follows the same feelings as “Cody Freestyle,” but in a much more mild way, as if Lacy has moved onto the acceptance of this lost love. 

Then comes along “Sunshine,” featuring Fousheé, a solo artist with a distinct, hypnotizing voice who I was previously only familiar with from her feature on Vince Staples’ “TAKE ME HOME.” The duo have previously collaborated when Lacy was featured on Fousheé’s track “candy grapes.” My favorite part of “Sunshine” is definitely Lacy’s guitar work throughout, but the instrumentals as a whole keep this song on repeat in my head.

The final song of Gemini Rights is another one of my favorites. “Give You the World” is one of the greatest songs I have heard from 2022, in my opinion. The opening synthesizer seems reminiscent of a Mild High Club, but the stunning, soulful track that follows has been described by listeners as “the lost Prince track” of its time. This song is absolutely hypnotizing in every way, from the instrumentals, to some of Lacy’s best vocals, to the full harmonies. 

Overall, Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights was a diverse mix of tracks that each had their own distinct sound, yet fit incredibly well together in creating this cosmic universe that long-time listeners and new fans alike could easily get lost in. The lyrical content is incredibly relatable in a variety of ways, as Lacy captured all the feelings associated with love: the excitement of new interest, the frustration of unrequited love, the initial anger and gradual acceptance of heartbreak, and the daydreams of missed potential. Gemini Rights was an excellent third album from Lacy, and I anticipate where this will take his career and sound in the future.