Album Review: Wafia Makes You See The “Good Things” About Life
I remember seeing Wafia’s first show in New York, and feeling like this young woman is not only a star but should be, which is why I was EXCITED by our interview. Her new EP, Good Things, marks exactly what I expect from the future of music: balance. She will sing to not being able to afford even a Big Mac at McDonald’s, a very real, new reality for a lot of people right now, but then sing to embracing the nature around her as the only thing pure and free that remains accessible to all. Sometimes, I think about that, when I am down; the sky is still a glance upwards and, in Good Things, Wafia makes you look up.
Wafia – Flowers & Superpowers [Official Music Video]
At six songs, the EP flows with a gentle uptempo that enlivens listeners without bombarding them with sunshine and rainbows. If I know anything about depression or hard times, it is that people get moody. Hope is both what you want and also the last thing you want to hear about. It emotionally feels like you have broken both your legs and someone says, immediately afterwards, “Don’t worry! It is not that bad! You will be okay!” Obviously, you are NOT okay and might even feel tempted to slap them with your perfectly, unbroken hand. Yet, you do need hope and someone to tell you that there are good things, not just ahead, but right now in your life. Wafia does that with an ambient sound that feels light, crisp, and tangible.
Wafia – Hurricane (Official Lyric Video)
The thing about atmospheric pop is that, sometimes, it can feel like someone shoved a pixie stick in your ear. It is SUPER ethereal and bombastic as if Heaven is a synth-wave away and you are missing the cloud to get there. Yet, again, people are feeling moody, and they want their hopefulness paced and purposeful, which is why Wafia’s Good Things is perfect. From “How To Lose A Friend” to “Butterflies,” she goes into the details of heartbreak and how the little things we lose, from how we bonded with a person to, again, access to a Big Mac, can leave us feeling crushingly defeated. Yet, our heartbreak is not simply because of the loss of something as much as the denial of access to it. I WANT MY FRIEND AND BIG MAC! Still, Wafia’s sultry voice seduces with its positivity; she is luringly optimistic and wants you to see hope does not build from how you see the future as much as how you see the present.
Wafia – Pick Me (Official Lyric Video)
Ultimately, the success of Wafia and her new EP is that she believes good things are always like, “Flowers & Superpowers.” The problem is that our heartbreaks make them feel less or too small to be reveled. Yet, if a “Hurricane” is a brew in your life, sometimes, the only thing we can do to accept it is hold on to smaller details rather than bigger pictures. Thus, again, Wafia’s effortless voice comes in both sound and style to show hope is what you keep to survive until you thrive, and that is found in the good things you still have. Wafia’s Good Things Comes Out August 21.
