Khalid is back! The El Paso singer-songwriter is back with his first full-length project since Free Spirit back in April 2019.

Khalid was such a big part of my high school years (as I’m sure he was for a lot of people who were in high school or college at the time he dropped American Teen). I remember finding Location on Spotify just as it was bubbling in the underground. And how cool it was to see that song, as well as Khalid as an artist blow up. He brought that ‘I’m just a stupid teenager enjoying life’ vibe that hadn’t been very present in music in the carefree way he presented it in 2017. The retro-tinge he added to all of his songs made him stand out even more. I think what makes Khalid’s music so great is he just seems like one of us. Just a young guy trying to have a good time and figure his life out.

He followed up 2017’s American Teen with two projects. The first was the Suncity EP, which dropped in mid-October of 2018. He then followed it up six months later with the Free Spirit album. In my personal opinion, these didn’t stick the same way American Teen did a little less than two years prior. It didn’t feel as close to me. It just didn’t have that same level of purity as his previous work did. But, at the same time, I’d imagine it’s difficult to find your footing musically in the industry being just barely over 20 years old. A lot more people get involved, and sometimes that throws artists off. But again, just my personal opinion. Khalid’s super talented, so I might be on a bit of an island with that opinion, but it’s how I felt.

This tape feels like a return to form for Khalid. The project’s labeled a mixtape, so that lends to a lower-pressure way of making music. That in turn usually lends itself to creativity, which Khalid has plenty of. There’s no lack of ear-worm melodies throughout. Straight from the jump, actually, with the first full track “Present”. But even before that, the intro track (with Alicia Keys!!) sets the tone for the whole thing. It’s got vocal layers that reminded me a lot of the final track from Tyler, The Creator’s Flowerboy, “Enjoy Right Now, Today”. It makes it all seem scenic, as the mixtape’s name would suggest.

The features are phenomenal as well. They’re much more R&B-centric than he’s had in the past, and they all fit the vibe of the record very well. From 6lack (who also have another great song “OTW” together) and Lucky Daye to Majid Jordan, Khalid fills the record with smooth R&B throughout. Other standout features include Ari Lennox and Smino on the Kenny Beats-produced title-track, and the JID verse on “All I Feel Is Rain”. JID really has a knack for delivering super-short feature verses where it sounds like he’s words on a string (another example: “Not My Problem” by Dua Lipa).

Khalid goes for a bit of a more mature R&B sound, compared to the more light-hearted tunes of American Teen. It’s a great project, definitely worth a shot whether you were previously a fan of him or not.

He also announced his upcoming third album (which this mixtape is the preface of) Everything’s Changing over the summer, presented alongside the single “New Normal”. You can also check out the video for the single “Present” below.

Have a good one!

Favorites: Retrograde (feat. 6lack and Lucky Daye), All I Feel Is Rain (feat. JID), Open (feat. Majid Jordan), Scenic Drive (feat. Ari Lennox & Smino)