CTRL was a genuine artistic breakthrough for SZA – a collection of gorgeously-produced R&B laced with her glossy vocals. The songs were endlessly replay-able, harnessing the essence of modern complicated love.
She captures that same energy on “I Hate U.” A boppy track with warbling, dotted synths and piano keys. It mines the same notes of wallowing self-pity as CTRL.
But the lyrics are different. More blunt and less self-loathing – “And if you wonder if I hate you/I do/shitty of you to make me feel just like this/what did I do to make you feel just like this”. SZA’s vibrant voice bellows out her laments. It’s a promising sign for her future work, and a reminder that she captured the core of relationship anxiety years before. It’s refreshing that on her latest track, she shifts the blame away from herself.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 