Album Review: Steve Lacy, Gemini Rights

An intense, passionate love affair ending in bitter regret, sadness, anger and finally, peace: this is the journey Steve Lacy takes listeners through in his sophomore album, Gemini Rights. Across ten tracks, Lacy slowly but surely picks up the pieces of himself after coming out of a breakup, ruminating on the beautiful but agonising process of time while exploring his relationship with change.

In the study of astrology, Geminis are represented as a mutable sign, with the ability to adapt seamlessly to the changes we endure. Lacy takes on this message literally, working in conjunction with the changes he experiences while enduring heartbreak and the self-discovery that follows. The album makes its entrance with melancholy but resentful 'Static', a send-off letter to Lacy’s ex-lover as he expresses his burning anger with a hint of longing for stability and security after the end of a relationship.

“Hope you find peace for yourself/ New boyfriend ain’t gon’ fill the void,” Lacy taunts over an ethereal, soft piano track that almost seems to emphasise the sadness hiding behind the anger stage of heartbreak. But despite his longing, Lacy knows what is best for his growth: “If you had to stunt your shining for your lover dump that fucker.”

The album picks up into an optimistic groove with 'Helmet', where Lacy expresses “all that I can be/is me and all me/time to get out/I don’t want you around" – coming to terms with the end of his relationship after ignoring all the signs that it was failing and attempting to start the journey of moving on. While being hopeful that he won’t be stuck in this feeling forever, he is still open and honest about the groundless and confusing emotions that come with losing love and not knowing what to do next.

Moving forward is never a linear process, and Lacy informs us that the love for another never really goes away. The other tracks on the album feature fits of hatred combined with moments of weakness, perfectly tying the harsh contrasts together while keeping a dysfunctional tone that captures his conflicting emotions.

In 'Sunshine', featuring the silky-smooth vocals of singer Foushée, Lacy falls victim to the natural course of regret. "Honestly I wouldn't mind/I would do it one more time," Lacy admits, ending the song by declaring "I still love you," accompanied by a jazz-flavoured guitar and drums. 'Sunshine' reminds us that even failed relationships have a place in our hearts, because in the end we are all human and the most human thing we can do is go through love and loss.

8/10