Jayden Pinto is The Eight30’s lead entertainment columnist. Find him on Letterboxd for more immediate reactions on new releases: @JaydenP0205
Steve Lacy claims he scrapped two albums and 300 songs in the process of making “Oh yeah,” and it was well worth it.
He started the rollout in August of 2025, and after nearly a year-long wait, he finally decided now was the right time to release his newest work. He wouldn’t tease much more for the album until May and June this summer, when he dropped two more singles, “the feeling” and “is it cool?” — featuring SZA — alongside the album cover and track list.
All three singles were great in their own way, while I thought “is it cool?” was weak upon release. It has since grown on me after hearing it alongside the rest of the album. This intrigue culminated with its July 17 debut, just a couple of days after the fourth anniversary of Lacy’s second studio album “Gemini Rights.”
Steve Lacy uses the track list as a personal therapy session across the ten tracks and nearly 40-minute runtime. Starting off heavy with “oh yeah?” was an intro that reminded me a lot of “IGOR’S THEME.” We’re clearly introduced to the main idea of heartbreak in the album, but also acceptance of the current situation Steve finds himself in now. With “is it cool?” as the next song, he addresses the issue in many of his relationships that he cannot commit, and that he tends to cheat. He acknowledges how hard it is to admit, but it gives us a look into his world before we experience the rest of the album.
On “the feeling,” we hear Steve yearning for the person he just broke up with, accompanied by an extremely catchy chorus. This song is undoubtedly destined to be the big hit off this album, much like “Bad Habits” was for “Gemini Rights.” Now I won’t go into detail with every song on the album, but every track here brings a distinct feeling and vibe that truly paints the picture of Steve’s relationships.
My personal favorite track was “show you me.” Joined by a singular guitar the whole time — a complete contrast to everything we heard beforehand — this was probably the hardest-hitting and most emotional track on the album as Steve addresses his loneliness and longing for a relationship with someone who doesn’t love him back. This hits harder, especially coming after “is it cool” because you know that Steve brought this struggle upon himself.
He doesn’t want to commit, yet he still wants a relationship. This complexity was what really brought the entire album together for me. In movie terms, this dilemma made Steve feel like an anti-hero. On one hand, I found myself feeling bad for him, because I understand how difficult it can be to commit but still wanting something more.
On the other hand, how can you really root for him knowing that he’s cheated and brought someone else pain?
The lyric that really brings this together is, “‘Cause everybody got someone but me.” We see more of this explored in the track “nothing.” In a way, it kind of paints him as selfish. Regardless, that’s what makes the album work so well as a whole.
Overall, I would say my favorite tracks on the album were:
- “the feeling”
- “show you me”
- “doom”
- “lovesexdrugbom” (feat. Cecile Believe)
- “nice shoes / in your world”
I’d also love to point out that final song I mentioned there; Steve increased the length of the song by nearly double and added a meaningful second half that drives the heartbreak home even more. Which brings me to the final track, “bebe,” the only song I wasn’t a fan of and the only one I didn’t add to any of my playlists.
Steve finally comes to terms with everything he previously sang about, realizing how crazy he was over someone who didn’t care for him and how dumb it was in hindsight. Ending very abruptly, it finalizes the album on a lukewarm note. I really don’t think the track is bad, and it wraps up the album nicely, but coming off of “nice shoes / in your world,” it didn’t hit as well for me. That latter track really feels like it should’ve been the ending to the album, and when you listen to this album, I think you’ll get that same feeling. It may take some time to grow on me, but as of now, “bebe” stands as the lowest point on the album and is a track that I can’t really get behind right now.
I’d also like to mention the lyrics and songwriting throughout the album, many of which have been mocked online; however, I thought the lyrics were funny and felt perfect for Steve Lacy, and you’d know this if you followed him online. I can’t bring up many of these lyrics here as they wouldn’t be safe for work, but many of them lean into Steve’s sexual nature and fit perfectly, especially in context of the overall themes of the album.
On the fan side, the reception seems to lean mostly positive as well. Alongside what I’ve seen online, many people seem to rate the album fairly high in his discography.
“I liked it, felt he took risks and was very creative with his style. Definitely can see the progress from the last album to this one,” Javier P said of Lacy’s recent work. Another fan, Dayanara M, admitted that it took a few listens for her to get used to it.
“I’ll be honest: at first I didn’t really get it; I thought for some of the songs like nice shoes / in your world he was just saying whatever, but I think with every album you’re gonna have songs that are skips and then songs that you rlly resonated with. I listened to the album again, and i ended up liking it a lot more than the first time, like I rlly like doom a lot. Overall, I like how it was a lot different from his last album.”
However, not many fans rank “Oh yeah?” at the No. 1 spot, including listener Oscar C.
“I preferred the sound from Gemini Rights and his previous work but this new album is still good in its own right,” he told me.
Personally, I disagree with that. I think Steve’s evolution as an artist really shows here. His beats and instrumentals were some of his best ever in addition his vocals. Maybe I’m a little biased, but there was just something about this album that truly hit for me. I think in many songs I found myself so immersed in this world Steve built that it’s hard for me to say that this album was anything short of his best.
None of his other albums hit me the same way this one did, so after a little over a week of listening to this album almost exclusively, I rate it an 8.5/10. Steve Lacy came back with a phenomenal album that admittedly did have a few lowlights, but the highlights seriously outshine the cons. As of now, I have this album in my top five of the year, potentially even in my top three. In the midst of all this, fellow member of The Internet, Syd, announced a new album from the band will be coming out next year, and I’m excited to see how Steve and the rest of the group evolved from their last collab.
Come the end of the year and award season, we will see this album in very prestigious conversations. Give Steve Lacy’s “Oh yeah?” a listen on all platforms now.
Final score: 8.5/10
