“Happily ever after” is a concept that’s reserved for fairytales, generic romantic comedies and frustratingly optimistic love songs. In the real world, relationships are messy, and they almost always end in heartbreak. It’s this painful reality that Lucid, Asa’s triumphant fourth studio album, captures brilliantly.
The first two singles, “The Beginning” and “Good Thing” were perfect indicators of the themes Asa would go on to explore throughout the album. On the former, Asa, in a last-ditch effort to fix a dying relationship, begs for a reset; and in the latter, she accepts that the relationship is broken beyond repair.
The rest of the 14-track project tackles other shades of heartbreak and healing: Asa sings about everything from resenting her ex for wasting her time and her love (“Torn”), to accepting that she needs to get the hell out of a toxic relationship (“Make No Sense”).
However, Lucid isn’t all about the downsides of relationships; a few songs show that Asa is still optimistic about love. In “Stay Tonight”, she puts herself back out there in search of the one; “You and Me” finds her wooing the man of her dreams; and “Until We Try (This Lo’)” is her attempt at rekindling an old flame.
With captivating production work, impeccable songwriting and her raw, honest voice, Lucid ranks as Asa’s most personal and cohesive record to date. While fans had to wait half a decade to get it — Asa’s longest break between projects — the brilliant final product was certainly worth the silence.
Listen to Lucid below:
