Definitely Crushing on Ravyn Lenae’s Crush EP

By: Sun Noor

After the self-releasing her first EPs Moon Shoes, in 2016 and Midnight Moon through Atlanta records last year, Chicago- based RnB singer Ravyn Lenae found herself on tour with artists such as Noname and SZA. On February 9th she unveiled another project; an EP entitled, Crush which is a collaborative project featuring producer/musician/songwriter Steve Lacy. Lenae explains that the process of putting Crush together was a new experience, given that she was not familiar with collaborating and co-writing with another artist. Nevertheless, the dynamic duo managed to bond over similar interests and shared the same music ideas.

Unlike the other two projects, Lenae describes Crush as a coming of age record in terms of its direction. The notion of exerting femininity without holding anything back appealed to her which explains why the songs act like diary entries. Each document a different story regarding her experiences with romantic relationships but in the form of lush and groovy tunes. “Sticky” stood out for Lenae it was the first song the pair had written together after Lacy recorded some of the instrumentation. This song is definitely one of my favourites off the EP. The guitar riffs in the intro compliment Lenae’s sassy layered vocals and the pre chorus is also quite catchy. I also enjoy the harmonies and the smooth guitar riffs at the in “The Night Song.” The empowering track also contains some of my favourite lyrics from the pair. “4 Leaf Clover” is one of the two song with Lacy’s vocals. The track contains sultry harmonies and back up vocals from the pair which are complimented by heavy synths and the drums. This project is undoubtedly one of my favourite if not my favourite EP that has been released during the first quarter of the year. This leaves me with anticipation for Lenae’s debut full length album as well as what is yet to come from Lacy.

Download or stream Crush here.