SZA reveals three new tracks

“I Hate You,” “Nightbird,” and “Joni” surfaced on an anonymous Soundcloud account.

A lot has been happening under Top Dawg Entertainment’s roof as of late. First, Isaiah Rashad made his big return to wax with his sophomore album The House is Burning, a project met with critical acclaim across the board. Then, Kendrick Lamar took to social media to drop a major bombshell — his next album will be his last with TDE. This past weekend, SZA decided to add to the fun with three new tracks, all of which were released on an anonymous Soundcloud account.

One of the songs, “Joni,” was first teased last year, when SZA shared a text exchange between her and her mother. As she explained in a Rolling Stone interview, the release is “a trap song from the perspective of Joni Mitchell”:

“Summer’s over and the money gone, I miss my mama when the tide is low, moon corrals us to the water and my daddy calls on his, favorite daughter for a host of loving words, I might oblige him, if the money right, is the pussy good? I keep it tight for the right one, save it all for the right one, call it perfect timing…”

“Joni” also comes with a self-directed visual that fans can check out on SZA’s Instagram. The short clip was shot by Blair Caldwell in the singer’s garage and stars dancer Nana Yaa.

It’s been four years since we received SZA’s debut LP Ctrl, a 14-track masterpiece that saw additional contributions from Lamar, Rashad, Travis Scott, Pharrell Williams, and James Fauntleroy. In addition to scoring a slew of award nominations and landing on “best of” lists, Ctrl has also since earned SZA a double Platinum certification. More recently, official drops like “Good Days” and “Hit Different” with Ty Dolla $ign provides hope that an official follow-up album will arrive sooner than later.

Check out “Joni,” along with “I Hate You” and “Nightbird.”