Currently, Central Cee is gearing up for the release of 23, a 15-track body of work that was previously led by the PinkPantheress-sampled offering “Obsessed With You.” Last week, the West London star added to that with “Retail Therapy,” which sees production from Nastylgia and Young Chencs and sounds as if it’s utilized a sped up sample of Hank Crawford’s 70’s release “Wildflower” — the same tune that Kanye West utilized on Late Registration standout “Drive Slow.” All-in-all, the song is centered around Cee hitting the shops with his love interest as a way to relieve stress:
“Fly uptown when I’m feelin’ down, I wanna do retail therapy, been with the gang all week, I need some female energy, sucked my soul, I lost my breath, she got me breathin’ heavily, toxic relationship with my queen, but me and the T got chemistry, told her that I’m a Gemini, now she on Google checkin’ the compatibility, she wanna see if I got the agility, she wanna see if I got the ability, huh, I went ’round three, she want round four, she killin’ me, huh, ADHD, my trigger finger fidgety…”
With the aid of director LKC, fans can also enjoy a fresh visual for “Retain Therapy” that matches the vibe with shots of Central Cee and his crew running around his city’s stomping grounds while spending on a variety of merchandise, taking over bike taxis, and just enjoying the vibes from day until night.
Upon its release, 23 will follow the debut mixtape Wild West, which dropped last March and saw 14 infectious cuts. The project was a huge success for Central Cee, peaking at the number two spot on the UK Albums chart thanks to about 15,000 first-week album equivalent units sold. 2021 also saw Cee continue to make waves with charting singles like “The Great Escape” with Blanco, “Meant to Be” with Stay Flee Get Lizzy and Fredo, and “Little Bit of This.”
Press play on “Retail Therapy” below. 23 drops Feb. 25.