Steve Lacy is back with his first new music in three years, releasing Nice Shoes fresh off his Rolling Stone cover. He announced the track on Instagram and linked to a new website, www.wearesteve.net, where he’s also selling merch featuring the Oh Yeah cover art.
Nice Shoes rides a rolling breakbeat as Lacy sings about romance, sexual fluidity, and the spaces in between, before the guitar-driven melody comes in toward the end. The lyrics move between the absurd and the insightful, with lines like “If I had a dollar for the friends I would fuck, I could buy a pair of really nice shoes” and “careful how you spend your time, it adds up.” He also touches on “romantic boners,” a phrase he described to Rolling Stone in his cover story, and the quiet ache of melancholy, confessing, “Crazy how you could be sad and not notice,” followed by the refrain, “All I need is my guitar and serotonin.”
In his Instagram post announcing the single, Lacy credits producer Nightfeelings and Matthew Castellanos for writing and production input. He described Nice Shoes as a “trailer” for his upcoming album Oh Yeah, which he says is arriving in the near future. Oh Yeah follows 2022’s Gemini Rights, which included the chart-topping “Bad Habit” and earned Lacy nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2023 Grammys. Gemini Rights ultimately won Best Progressive R&B Album.
This release marks a continuation of Lacy’s inventive blend of funk-tinged R&B and indie-inflected guitar work, building anticipation for the forthcoming Oh Yeah while giving fans a first taste of the next chapter in his evolving sound. The new website and merchandise tie-in also offer a tactile sense of the artist’s refreshed era, inviting fans to engage with the brand as Oh Yeah takes shape.
Summary: Steve Lacy’s Nice Shoes signals a bold return with a punchy, genre-blending track and a teaser for the Oh Yeah era, following the momentum of Gemini Rights and its Grammy success. The song features provocative lyrics, a kinetic breakbeat, and a clear setup for an upcoming album, with additional support from Nightfeelings and Matthew Castellanos.
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