‘Standing Ovation’ has a gorgeous motif with its structure twisting at every turn. Strings, choirs and live instrumentation shimmer throughout giving the album a timeless quality. It’s cinematic in its ambition with Inflo (Michael Kiwanuka, Sault) at the production helm casting the perfect light for Simz’s storytelling to bathe in. Things kick off with the dramatic ‘Introvert’ before being soothed by ‘Woman’ and the luxurious sonics of ‘Two Worlds Apart’ which pours over like caramel as a soul sample is underpinned by rich percussion. ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ is mammoth in scope, 19 tracks that take you on a whirlwind journey that zips you through various genres, moods and stories - interludes interweave to animate the tale that takes the listener deep within herself the title stands for her name after all - SIMBI. “I just wanted to tell a story within it and make a classic record that people can keep going back to.” It’s fair to say, Simz’s ambitions were crawling as high as the expectation surrounding her next move. “Why is ‘Off The Wall’ a classic?” she asked. Chatting to DIY earlier this year, Simz spoke about studying classic albums in preparation for its follow-up. When Little Simz dropped the sublime ‘GREY Area’ in 2019, a tight 10-track LP jam-packed with smart bars and instrumentals that soothed and snapped in equal grace, she carved out a sacred space on the UK hip hop scene.

Two worlds apart little simz