This is an edition of the weekly newsletter Tap In, GQ senior associate editor Frazier Tharpe’s final word on the most heated online discourse about music, movies, and TV. Sign up here to get it free. It feels like I’ve been waiting years to say this, and now I can: it’s Tinashe Season.
The LA-born singer is something of an industry journeyman, with eight albums under her belt, not to mention a four-year stint with a girl group. Pop music casuals remember “2 On” fondly but not much after, which is a shame because she's emerged as a much more interesting songwriter and sonic trendsetter in the years since, establishing herself as one of the most consistent vanguards in contemporary pop. This week, things got louder with the release of Popstar, her eighth studio album, which our cousins over at Pitchfork distinguished with a rare and coveted 9.0.
I’ve been one of the ‘Nashe Faithful since at least 2015—my OG and notorious R&B expert B. Fred raved about her mixtape Amethyst back in the Complex office (not long before she appeared in a cover story with a lede I still remember to this day). It was only a matter of time until the masses caught up and her brilliance broke containment.
Loyal Tap In subscribers may remember I called this shot about a month ago in the newsletter when I wrote the following: “I feel like Tinashe exists in this Charli xcx pre-2024 zone where those of us who are tapped in know she’s an elite, adventurous and wildly consistent songwriter who deserves more acclaim despite not having a hit quite as big as the one that initially launched her into public consciousness. Tap in before the bandwagon gets full, ‘cause she’s overdue for her own Brat sooner than later.” I’ve never been happier to be right. If you’ve been holding Tinashe stock, congrats on the bull market—this week’s column will feel like a victory lap.
And if you’re new here, get familiar, because as great as Popstar is, an album like this doesn’t happen on a whim. It’s built on the back of underrated singles, near-misses and deep cuts, my favorites of which I enumerate below. Apart from the music, Tinashe’s always made consistently great music videos with even better choreography.
Here, all three of her powers are working in concert. T and fellow underrated Angeleno Buddy yearn for adventure and greatness, paying homage to California summers while pleading to be anywhere but home on a song that’s begging to be synced in a coming-of-age road trip movie. That didn’t happen, but it’s nevertheless one of her most consistent projects, stacked with heaters like this one.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
