Ahead of his much-anticipated sophomore album, “Paradise Now,” Obongjayar returns with a new single, “Sweet Danger,” so intoxicating and sensational it lives up to its name. Released via September Recordings, the track glimmers like city lights at midnight, seductive, shadowy, and fated.
In Obongjayar’s flexible composite of sound, an intersection of soul, Afrobeat, and alt-R&B, “Sweet Danger” plays like a dark, soulful incantation whispered into the void. It’s the kind of song that sneaks into your bloodstream gradually and unfurls more with each listen. Produced by the ever-inventive Yeti Beats and co-written by Adrian Eccleston, Adrian X, David Sprecher, and Steven Umoh, this song doesn’t just tread the line between risk and reward.
What makes “Sweet Danger” so affecting is its emotional honesty. Tension throbs beneath Obongjayar’s smoky vocals, a duality that reflects the song’s name. He depicts the struggle for what one wants being intertwined with the unknown, the world of love being at once heady and unpredictable. This is the kind of danger that draws you deeper.
The production is rich but spacious, which allows Obongjayar to breathe and emote. The instrumentation ebbs like warm waves gliding under the moonlight, stitching soul-drenched guitar licks with subtle electronic textures with organic grace. It’s music for the night, meant for meditative drives, walks, or when the heart feels just a little heavier.
“Sweet Danger” is a tantalizing peek into the emotional world of “Paradise Now,” which will be released by May 30. The 15-track album, which was made between London and Los Angeles, features a turn from the impressive Little Simz as a guest feature. It also promises to dig into themes of self-acceptance, grief, and transcendence territory that Obongjayar appears more than able to traverse. With “Sweet Danger,” Obongjayar establishes a mood, lights a candle in the dark, and challenges us to feel anything real. If this is a taste of what’s in store, “Paradise Now” may be his most radiant adventure yet.
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