- In 2018 when Adelaide born rapper Tkay Maidza released Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 1 she would’ve had no idea of the imminent success she’d uncover. Vol. 2 came in 2020, featuring a JPEGMAFIA collaboration and the best tracks of her career so far. With that success not in the rearview mirror just yet, Tkay has released Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3, a continued odyssey into sticky and sultry R&B and high octane hip-hop that has not only signed her to cult indie label 4AD, but is turning her into an international icon, one banger at a time.
Kim, the first taste of Vol. 3 is an abrasive cut, featuring pounding bass and quirky samples as Tkay and Yung Baby Tate rap. Syrup, the most adrenaline charged cut on the album kicks off with a siren that sounds equally like an ambulance charging forward and the drone of summer morning birds. On Syrup, Tkay expresses her desire for success, with her most zany lyrics yet, “And that’s the tea, Arizona / I’m a ride it, Winona / I go hard, I’m a boner / I just wanna be rich, thick, sweet, sick, syrup.” There’s a camp quality to all this, extending to the Last Year trilogy as a whole. Branded as EPs, even at eight tracks each, the mixtape-like quality and release of these projects allows for greater experimentation, before Tkay inevitably leaves her weird years behind.
The lavish exuberance of Cashmere is a refreshing addition to Vol. 3, showing a more vulnerable side of Tkay, as she sings over a quirky, distorted, alt-pop beat. Though this EP doesn’t hit as hard as Vol. 2, or feature emotionally poignant moments, it sees Tkay experiment enough to justify its existence. High Beams feels radical for its neo-soul, house inspired flow. Tkay leans into the sensual production and chorus of chanting voices. They’re not backup vocalists, yet they don’t overshadow Tkay, feeding more into the worldbuilding of this EP.
Taking one glance at the glossy, green euphoria of the artwork should clue you in to the aesthetic that Tkay Maidza is working towards. The latex, mechanical sheen of the motorcycle on Vol. 2’s cover is replaced by Tkay performing archery from a camo jeep, boasting anime hair that rivals the stylised looks of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira, and Persona. From the start to end of Vol. 3 and both its predecessors, Tkay Maidza is like a budding auteur, her style defies any particular genre barriers. Instead, the newest and final entry in this series leaves little indication of where Tkay will turn next.
Will she embrace rap, pop, R&B… neo-soul, even? If there’s any point to her trilogy of EPs, it’s that she shouldn’t have to choose. Unlike a messy, weird year, Tkay’s cool and collected, unafraid of changing with the seasons.
- Sean Tayler.