If you’re Steve Lacy’s friend, there’s a chance he might want to f—k you. Don’t shoot the messenger. That’s how the chart-topping artist opened his latest single, “Nice Shoes.”
“If I had a dollar for the friends I would f—k, I could buy a pair of really nice shoes. Life is but a stain; it’s not a tattoo. Temporary pain, it’s lame to chase youth. I can’t seem to fall in love; it’s bad luck,” he sings.
Lacy’s co-self-produced single comes complete with a raucous breakbeat, a subtle sample of Lyn Collins’s “Think,” and synths that feel like they’re buzzing around his vocals. The singer from Los Angeles uses the busy production as a canvas to express his frustrations with lust, love, and life in general.
“I truly think if there was ever a time to let it out, it would be now. Let down your guard and be honest enough to let it out. I’m in your world,” he sings.
“Nice Shoes” sets the stage for Lacy’s next album, Oh, Yeah? In a recent conversation with Jeff Ihaza of Rolling Stone, he described the track as a “trailer” for his new project.
“This [album] has taken a lot of time and thought,” he said. “I keep using the word ‘design.’ It feels like fully designing a new language for myself.”
If “Nice Shoes” is any indication of what’s to come from his forthcoming project, Lacy is being pretty direct lyrically. However, there’s always a chance that this song will take on an entirely different meaning when released with the full project. Until we learn more, check out “Nice Shoes” below.
