With the current state of the world, Sam Smith pushed back the release of their highly anticipated third studio album in solitude as the title and some of the content didn’t correlate well. But with the world slowly getting back to a new normal, the British singer-songwriter is ready to unveil the next piece of the puzzle with their new single ‘My Oasis’ featuring Burna Boy.
The wavy RNB injected track cites a rhythmic flow through the production as they continue to experiment with their sonic, and distance themselves from the soul ballads of their debut. However with such an impressive discography behind them it’s so easy to compare and have high expectations with each release.
This song just lacks the embodiment of the emotion that is so clearly detailed in the lyrics. Falling back into a role of unrequited love, Smith finds themselves helplessly needing someone even though the reciprocation is questionable.
“Oh babe, I really need you. My feelings gettin’ deeper. My mind is in a free fall. But there’s nothing I can do when it comes to you” they sing during the wavy chorus. These are feelings that are so relatable, and should be something you could easily connect to, but I’m struggling to find that emotive connector through their delivery to get me there. And then Burna Boy’s verse just briefly happens and you’re like… wait, what just happened?
Falling into lacklustre territory, ‘My Oasis’ just fails to impress in the way that their previous singles have. It fails to have me dancing like ‘Dancing With A Stranger’ or crying like ‘Too Good At Goodbyes’, and is ultimately just a forgettable single for them.