Syd rocks with The Internet and used to be the DJ for Odd Future (she's Taco's sister), the collective whose early material she also recorded and engineered. She's a central songwriter/performer for the LA soul band, and Fin is the artist's solo debut. "This album is not that deep, but I feel like this is my descent into the depth I want the band to get to." It's this kind low-key attitude and honesty that characterizes the album, as the twelve tracks truly feel effortless and true to self, from her whispery vocal stylings and self-assured writing ("Shake em off / there's nothing you can tell me, I'm grown) to her choices for beats, which mix up heavy bass, trap cadences, and warm melodies in a super chill, laidback way. And regardless of how she perceives the depth of the LP, Fin, which clocks in at a breezy 37-minutes, is a genuine, top-notch body of work in the contemporary R&B sphere, and tracks to check out include: "All About Me," "Body," "Over," "Know," "No Complaints," and "Nothin to Somethin."

• printed insert
• digital download included
• music label: Columbia 2017

reviewed by marble cake floors 04/2017