By Asim Medina – Staff Reporter

This past Friday (12/9/22), SZA had dropped her new album “SOS.” 

“SOS” by SZA is a follow up album to her debut album “CTRL” which was released in 2017. Before dropping this album, SZA had stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that new music will be coming out, but it may not result in an album. The singer had also stated that she plans on releasing a trilogy of albums, then she’ll retire from music. For this album, SZA has worked with producers such as Timbaland, Babyface, Benny Blanco, DJ Dahi, Freaky Rob, Shellback, etc.  

Musically, the album is contemporary R&B-inspired, with influences from hip hop and pop. The album samples sound references from soul, gospel, jazz and melodic rap. The sound of the album was described as “a varied palette,” combining “surf rock” and “grunge” elements, alongside “her beloved lo-fi beats.” 

“SOS” has received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the album received a score of 91 out of 100, based on 14 reviews, indicating “universal acclaim.”  

Rating; 5 out of 5 stars