British singer-songwriter Lola Young is known for songs that candidly and provocatively tackle highly personal subject matter. Though most recently in the news for her collaboration with rapper Tyler, The Creator on his album Chromakopia, it’s her songs like “Wish You Were Dead,” or “Messy” – whose online virility catapulted the up-and-coming singer into greater popularity – with their brash, terse titles and frank commentary that have thus far defined Young’s own artistry. Hell, the title of her second album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, is practically openly combative. That LP’s fourth track, “Conceited,” is cut from the same cloth as those other hits: a scorched-earth dismissal of a ex-lover set to an at times funky, at times raucous groove.
“Conceited” immediately establishes a distinct tone color, saturated with a sparse reverb and helmed by funky, auto-wah bass line a la Thundercat with guitar to match. A constant, clarion synth chime rings throughout as Young’s vocals ebb from a restrained, practically spoken-word cadence to a soulful lilt. Then, about two-thirds of the way in, that lilt becomes a wail as the rhythm section and guitar flare up into a full-throated, distorted roar, and suddenly the song’s vibe is entirely altered. It’s an unexpected and brilliant shift; a seismic sonic transformation that barely modifies the original instrumentation at all, and thus still feels like perfectly natural progression of the song prior. The rock and rage subside at the song’s end, returning to its initial fragmented funk for a brief moment until its close.
With its stark, damning lyrical accusations and an arrestingly erratic groove – not to mention it’s stunner of an act three twist – “Conceited” is a stormy portrait of a toxic love affair painted upon the canvas of its off-kilter and cleverly turbulent arrangement. It’s also a brief and striking distillation of everything that makes its parent album – and Young’s music in general – so compelling.