- Fatima's debut LP, a deeply imaginative take on modern soul, is a tough act to follow. "Somebody Else" offers the first glimpse into her next LP, which remains unnamed. It's no great departure from what came before, but it does hint at subtle changes in approach.
The beat, produced by JD. Reid, has a blunt limp and a bass weight that we didn't feel on Yellow Memories, where instrumentals were coated in a layer of thrift shop dust. Outright electronic elements were often dialed back to leave room for Fatima's deep voice and the more traditional instrumentation. On tracks like "Family" and "La Neta," her voice tumbled elegantly along with jazzy flourishes in the songwriting, like she was sparring with the rhythm. Here, chopped-up samples and muscular MPC beats take center stage, and while her voice is as attractive as ever, the arrangement and the song's arc make for an understated effect. "Somebody Else" is an enticing taste of what's in store, though it feels more like a B-side than a lead single.
Tracklist01. Somebody Else