Tkay Maidza — Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2 — EP Review
Pop | Electronic
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
As I’m commencing this review, today has finally brought me a shed-load of exciting new projects to review. More on that in the coming week, of course.
But prior to then, I was still searching for more projects to try and beef up this relatively scarce month of music, so you can imagine my relief when I stumbled across this new project from Zimbabwean born Australian singer-songwriter Tkay Maidza.
Until this point, I hadn’t known of Takudzwa Victoria Rosa, a.k.a Tkay Maidza, but after coming across a positive review, and a glimpse of the amazing album cover, that was all the persuasion I needed t delve into this new EP.
From what I have collected, this EP is a continuation of the 2018 EP, Last Year Was Weird Vol.1, which while I’ve only skimmed through, definitely makes this new EP seem like a grand evolution in experimentation and depth.
On the subject of experimentation, Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2 has a level of stylistic versatility that rivals the likes of SAWAYAMA, and have tracks that range from dreamy and whimsical, to intense and gritty. The fact that this level of musical diversity is crammed into a 26 minute EP feels like a very large accomplishment.
Furthermore, this EP has such a depth and magnitude to its overall experience, that I wouldn’t really blame anybody for mistaking this as an album, as I came away with the same level of satisfaction as I would for most full-length projects.
And as somebody who has a versatile taste in what I enjoy musically, I enjoyed this EP thoroughly. And although not every track absolutely wowed me, there is no track on here that wasn’t at least a little bit enjoyable.
The album cover expertly reflects how whimsical this EP is stylistically, but in a contextual sense, the EP really gives off this empowering vibe. Maidza’s attitudes in the majority of the tracks really command everything else that goes on in a sense, and as listeners, our attention is mostly on her, and what she has to say.
Tracks-wise, it’s almost always “Awake” that comes to mind when thinking of this EP. The rawness and grit on this track is like something that I’d expect from one of Little Simz’s earlier projects, amped up to 11. The fact that we have JPEGMAFIA feature in this track as well, just really seals the deal for me.
Honestly, Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2 may just be one of the most fleshed-out EPs that I have heard in 2020 thus far. I absolutely love the musical versatility, empowering presence, and substantial feel of this project. It’s definitely safe to say that I am totally on-board for whatever Tkay Maidza brings out next.
Favourite Tracks: 24k | Awake | You Sad
Least Favourite Track: My Flowers
4AD ltd
