Album Review: Steve Lacy - 'Gemini Rights'

Steve Lacy has a veteran level resume at the ripe age of 24. He’s been Grammy nominated multiple times, for his debut record APOLLO XXI, has walked in fashion shows for Louis Vuitton, given a Ted Talk in NYC, and written and produced for the likes of Tyler, The Creator, Solange, Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, Kaly Uchis, Thundercat and the late great Mac Miller.

He’s now released his highly anticipated sophomore full-length album Gemini Rights. With the record he reflects on the plight of the star sign to create an album that is fiercely innovative and identity defining.

For Lacy, his style has become a benchmark part of Gemini Rights’ creative direction. He’s been sporting the Bernhard Willhelm x Linda Farrow 3 C12 to build the character of Gemini. The album’s visual accompaniments also expand the project’s universe deeply beyond the music, with its lead single Mercury receiving a minimalistic, surreal, horror-inspired music video directed by duo rubberband. Then followed Bad Habit, a Julian Klincewicz directed, single framed video which sees Lacy swing effortlessly in an empty space. Again, he sports the same simple outfit, a representation of his obsession with character building.

“When I finished the record, and we had that title, it created this theme to build this character up,” he says in the interview with Vulture.

“I tapped into that when we were shooting “Bad Habit,” the music video, which was just me and my body. Julian said, “If the movements are wider, it’ll look more grand on camera.” I went full-blown maniac, moving my arms and my body big. Like, Okay, I’m going to tap into this character.”

Before the album was even released and before any conversation about the record’s intense musicality, Gemini Rights is an exploration of style, characterisation, identity, visuals and personifying them with a strict artistic vision. 

Gemini’s are also often described as hungry and desperate in their pursuit of knowledge, one that manifests in excellent intellect and communication, through any medium. They allegedly are terrific pioneers while reflecting the ethos of the knowledge that they’ve learnt, with their personal flare and unique presence. Lacy is an outspoken, music nerd. In interviews and rare public appearances, he’ll consistently reference fashion pieces from his famous shows, or referencing indie rock musicians B-sides that he grew up on. His vast musical knowledge and appreciation for rock-stars that have preceded him mould beautifully on Gemini Rights.

While he doesn’t claim to have entered the studio with clear sonic references, it’s hard not to appreciate the stunning melting pot of genre that Gemini Rights bathes in, fully embracing his evolution into an indie rock star. He reflects the legacies of the Princes, the Rick Jameses, the Saadiqs, the D’angelos, not because he is playing rock music, but because he is unapologetically making music and delivering it with boisterous confidence and swagger.

Sonically, the track list traces the footsteps of these musical heroes, with a tint of multi-dexterity. Alternative and psychedelic rock songs form beautifully with jazz and psych influences, waving, R&B and gospel vocals, wrapped in a glaze of funk and hip-hop. Take for example Mercury (which he wrote, produced and performed), a latin jazz and bossa nova meets 70’s bass driven funk record. It reflects on the anxiety in the face of unrequited love, challenging his own self confidence with playfulness, falsetto vocals and whimsical emotional chants. Its title Mercury is a reference to the ruling planet of his star sign, which affects communication, the mind and language, which he dissects through the track's lyrics.

His collaboration with Foushee Sunshine is arguably one of his poppiest efforts to date, as the angelic vocals from the pair weave in between Lacy’s guitar riffs. Across the whole record his axe work is incredible, adding musical depth and texture amidst any vocally sparse moment. He shreds beneath a falsetto vocal on Buttons, Helmet’s guitar driven chord and melodic elements combine perfectly with a swinging bassline, while album opener’s Statics guitar runs allow its ballad formula to explode.

Cody Freestyle could have easily sat on Frank Ocean’s Blonde. A narrative of codependency, Lacy trades his guitar and bass driven indie-rock palette for a moody, synth driven R&B cut. I Could Use Your Deep Throat / We don’t need to be together forever / Cos I could do better,” he sings. While the lyrics are on the nose, there’s an emotional and introspective vigour that’s portrayed through his vocal tone, making his brash confidence hardly off-putting.

The album portrays Lacy as a beacon of contemporary identity exploration, showcasing his evolution as an artist that, while reminiscent of some of the greatest artists to date, is truly singular. It is savage, tender, sexy, gender fluid and full of longing, a truly innovative creative product.