LOVE AGAIN EP [TRACK BY TRACK REVIEW]
Music has always been a family affair for Micah Acosta (@micahacostarr). Over the course of his career, the artist has turned to those closest to him to both strengthen and support his pursuits, and his latest EP is no exception. Love Again is a stylistic sidestep for Acosta, choosing raw lyricism over the playful catchiness of his previous singles. The commitment to this authenticity was so firm, in fact, that a change in name was necessary to shed the glamour of his oeuvre and produce something uniquely vulnerable. This track by track analysis of the project is an attempt to take stock of this transformation.
Love Again artwork
Image Credit: Cover art by @xplique, provided by artist.
NO TRUST IN YOU
The opening track kicks off the EP with high energy. Acosta is unashamedly truthful from the opening track “I just hate you/but I love you so much”, and this confidence comes through his sharp delivery and honesty. No Trust in You was derived from heartbreak and angst, growing out of a period of immense confusion for the artist. Acosta sat on the track for a few months before finalising the vocals and putting it on the EP, claiming that the subject matter was too severe for the time. The track serves as an antonym to his previous single Trust in Me, signalling a move away from his previous work. No Trust in You was produced by MKAYY (@mkayy.mp3), who also performed all of the instrumentation on the track.
LOVE AGAIN
The EP’s title track was also written well in advance of the project, and it reiterates the emotionality of the first track. Love Again is a rnb/trap crossover with dense harmonies and haunting production courtesy of beatsmith extraordinaire LMC (@beatsbylmc). Acosta’s signature melodic style is prominent on the track, with his slick delivery cutting through the snappy drums. Inspired by the idea that the title was more of a rhetorical question than a statement, Love Again serves as a conceptual foundation for the project.
‘Swear I can’t love again’
Image Credit: Photograph by @nawealth_photog
WAITING
Featuring a seamless beat switch, Waiting is a deeper cut that features lush vocal sections and thumping 808’s. The first section of the track is titled ‘waiting for you’ and the second half uses the reversed guitar sample from the track’s first half to introduce the second half; ‘Done Waiting’. Touching on themes of yearning and patience, the track was produced by Monijnr Beats (@mjbofficialz) and Deja Miru (@dejamiru), the latter also mixing and mastering the entire project. Waiting is a thoughtful moment in the EP where concept and execution marry nicely.
APOLOGY 2 U
With a more tropical style of production, Apology 2 U is a stylistic outlier on Love Again. The instrumental is centred around a bouncy guitar arrangement and lively handclaps. This song was drawn from Acosta’s own experiences in physically moving on from a breakup without emotionally moving on. Production on this cut featured contributions from Monijnr Beats and Amorist (@amorist.1999), with Acosta producing the playful outro as well. Younger cousins of the artist feature on the back end of Apology 2 U, who are (no doubt) huge fans of Acosta’s work. This track is a more uplifting and lighthearted offering from the artist, who shows that he can weave in and out of emotional subject matter easily.
BETTER DAYS
Better Days is a standout from Love Again. Spilling his emotion over a spacey r&drill instrumental, Acosta tells listeners about his love for his area and his upbringing “regrets in the past it’s a few things/but it wont hold us back ‘cause we’re moving”. The hook was written by Acosta’s brother, proving his commitment to those around the artist. This track also contains the sole guest verse on the project, courtesy of Melbourne’s very own TAKTiX (@TAKTiX) of ‘New Wave’. This harder rap edge puts the cut well ahead of the game, showing Acosta’s flair for weaving together disparate influences.
LETTER 2 MY BROTHERS
Perhaps the most endearing track on Love Again, Letter 2 My Brothers is an emotive plea to Acosta’s loved ones to stay away from trouble “you don’t need to fight these battles all alone”. The track speaks about the postcode wars and all of the unnecessary tension between communities out west. Acosta was adamant on telling the story from his perspective, but with a focus on his brothers in the area rather than himself. The artist also produced the track himself and then involved DejaMiru and Monijnr Beats to finalise the track. In a moment of transcendence, a heartfelt choir closes the song and points to LoveAgain being an affirmation; a realisation that the heart continues to beat no matter the circumstance.
Stream Love Again here.
