Back in March, British soul star Jorja Smith returned with melancholic new gem “Addicted”, following it up with another gem, “Gone”, along with some downcast visuals. With the latter track, she also announced that a new EP, Be Right Back, was on the way—and now it’s arrived.
Keeping it short-and-sweet at just eight tracks, Smith explained that the new project was just a stopgap, suggesting a larger follow-up to 2018’s Lost & Found could be in the works: “It’s called Be Right Back because it’s just something I want my fans to have right now. This isn’t an album and these songs wouldn’t have made it. If I needed to make these songs, then someone needs to hear them too.”
Of course, we’d already heard two of the tracks, but Be Right Back is hardly short on treats. “Buss Down” with Shaybo is proving an early highlight, not least because it’s given us a more tender side to the razor-tongued South London rapper. As for the rest of the EP, Smith’s vocals are as light and delicate as ever—though still unafraid to let rip when the moment’s right—but there’s a grungier sound on some of the instrumentals, particularly on “Digging”, which counters the rest of the EP’s atmospheric string sections with a chunky, almost sludgy bass guitar riff.
If Smith is working on album number two, we can almost guarantee it’ll sound pretty different to the new EP. While we wait to see if anything else is forthcoming, dig into Be Right Back below.
