Steve Lacy - Oh yeah
The wait was worth it.
It’s been four years since Steve Lacy’s hit “Bad Habit” started gaining traction and launched him into mainstream popularity. Now, in 2026, Lacy finally delivers the follow-up to the LP that contained that song, Gemini Rights – his third studio album, Oh yeah. The project was headlined by two very strong singles earlier in the year, “The Feeling” and the SZA-assisted “Is It Cool?” – the rest of the album isn’t quite able to hold up that exceptionally high standard, but is still fantastic.
True to Lacy’s previous output, the album is incredibly smooth in its composition and layering. The synth work in particular is typically brilliant, with the vivid textures lighting up tracks like the title track, which opens the album, and is one of its main highlights. The few moments where more prominent, dirty guitars feature, such as on “Doom” or “Lovesexdrugbomb”, also work very well, with them adding some variety to the album’s soundscape. Lacy’s signature slightly rough-edged, DIY-style production feels more alive than ever on this record, executed more maturely than on any of his music before this point. The tracks feel incredibly atmospheric and carry a certain psychedelic feel to them.
Lacy’s vocals are also just as smooth as ever, with slick vocal harmonies complementing his performances throughout the record. The featured performers also play their part in adding to the sound of the album: SZA is brilliant in her contributions on the aforementioned “Is It Cool?”, Cecile Believe works well with Lacy on “Lovesexdrugbomb”, with their voices meshing seamlessly; Erykah Badu’s parts on “Pure colour” are somewhat unorthodox, but still work for what the track is going for.
The lyrics are probably the most up-and-down element of the album – while Lacy’s signature raw, unpolished honesty often hits home on the highlight tracks, that isn’t always the case; in some instances, the lyrics come off as blunt and haphazard rather than honest and unfiltered. It feels like, in those moments, Lacy is almost forcing the messiness in order for the songs to feel more grounded, but it doesn’t quite land. That said, the better moments more than make up for the flawed parts, and the lyrics don’t even nearly drag down the overall experience of the album.
Overall, Oh yeah is a very solid continuation for Steve Lacy’s discography. It’s not a flawless record, but it comes with its fair share of mesmerizing highlights, especially the first three tracks. It’s got spectacular production, as well as silky-smooth vocal presence and plenty of charisma from Steve Lacy as a performer, and is one of the stronger projects of the year so far. It’s entirely fair to say that the four years Lacy took to work on this record were time very well spent.
8.0/10
