HEIZE Shows off With “Lyricist”
Almost nine months since her last release, HEIZE is back with her mini-album Lyricist. The five-track album is not only spearheaded by her title track “Lyricist,” but also with “Things are going well,” both of which stand as a testament to HEIZE’s talent as a songwriter.
“Lyricist” sees HEIZE really lean into her signature jazzy style, with the track predominantly led by a bossa nova groove and light piano. While the majority of her recent comebacks have lended themselves to the R&B side of her work, it’s refreshing to have HEIZE return to her softer, classical roots. For a song as poetic and self-referential as “Lyricist,” in which HEIZE paints herself as the puppeteer behind her life, the classic style is more than befitting. The track “Things are going well,” though similar to “Lyricist,” mostly follows HEIZE’s recent releases in terms of style: gone is the slightly Latin feel, instead replaced by R&B beats. Both sonically and lyrically, “Things are going well” could be a sequel to “Lyricist.”
The music video for “Lyricist” also serves as the video for “Things are going well,” though the transition between the two is so seamless that the average viewer might not even notice. The video starts off with HEIZE dressed in white, frequently cutting to a shot of her with her ears covered by a person wearing red gloves. As the music starts to shift and the camera pans out, it’s clear that the mysterious red gloves belong to another version of HEIZE. From here, the music drifts into “Things are going well,” depicting HEIZE dressed head-to-toe in red as she sends memories of a past love through a giant paper shredder.
The rest of Lyricist is just as muted as the title tracks. Picking up where “Things are going well” leaves off, “Your name” has a bit of a disco feel to it, with sweeping strings weaving in and out of its pop beats. ASH ISLAND’s featured verses add a much needed bite to the track that instantly sets it apart from the first two songs on the album. “1/1440” is startlingly electronic against the overwhelmingly organic album. Starting with a whimsical vibraphone and opening lines from Ji Chanel, the song is carried by its electronic beat more so than its melody, though it’s just as relaxing of a listen as its predecessors. The album concludes with “Not to see you again,” a soft yet sad instrumental-only version of “Lyricist” (featured as the transition between songs in the music video) that sounds like HEIZE took a page straight out of Frederic Chopin’s book.
Check out the music video for “Lyricist” and “Things are going well” below.