Unlike some of the artist that the industry and the media are going to be compelled to box her in with TeaMarrr comes across as boundless as she has shown the ability to weave in and out of pop, hip-hop, R&B flavors breaking through the typical genre barriers, creating an aesthetic that separates her from the rest of who would be considered her competition. 

This 10-song project was released via Issa Rae’s Atlantic Records label imprint Raedio and features the song “Cool Enough” that fans of Issa and HBO’s hit series Insecure heard during the season 4 Premiere as well as on the recently released soundtrack. The album that features SiR, Rapsody and Netflix’s “Rhythm and Flow” Season 1 winner D Smoke details the Ups, Downs and potential messiness of relationships in today's age and is refreshingly relatable on multiple levels. On Instagram she writes,  

“'Before I Spill Myself' is a bawdy of work that touches the beginning middle and end of what sharing yourself with someone NEW romantically feels like," she wrote on Instagram about the project. "so of course I Poured my mind Vag and Soul into this ( as i do all my work ) BUT this one is special because there's extreme healing powers in this brew." 

The term “brew’ making a nod to the signature Teacup that she features in each piece of her art, without any real explanation, something that If I ever get the chance I will definitely try to get a backstory on. Overall, the entire album symbolizes the definition of creativity from an artist who doesn’t believe in censoring her identity and is determined to heal you through the magical elixir that is her music. 

In a recent press release Teamarrr states, “I hope they walk away thinking, ‘TeaMarrr is my new musical pharmacist. My catalog will heal whatever mood you’re in; if you’re in a lovey-dovey vibe put on ‘Kinda Love.’ If you’re angry at your ex and don’t understand why he couldn’t have done the one thing you asked him to, I definitely have a song for that too.  Think of me as the sonic doctor prescribing music as medicine to help you heal.“ 

“My catalog will heal whatever mood you’re in; if you’re in a lovey-dovey vibe put on ‘Kinda Love.’ If you’re angry at your ex and don’t understand why he couldn’t have done the one thing you asked him to, I definitely have a song for that too,” TeaMarrr said of the EP. “Think of me as the sonic doctor prescribing music as medicine to help you heal.” 

This statement 100% rings true as she delivers each song “confessional” style with vibes that are both part diary and part reality tv or docudrama. This soundtrack tells the story of what happens when love causes two people to fall so into each other they begin to lose themselves. The result is a beautifully messy and honest portrayal of a modern-day relationship.   

The album opens with “Chasing Amy,” which is where the story starts where she is being pursued by a man who she requests reassurance from with the question “Are you sure about me” as she pokes fun at his persistence while outlining and exposing her flaws. Although towards the end of the record she shows a moment of vulnerability she hides it well throughout in a carefree yet savage kind of way.  

She jumps into her build-a-bear bag substituting bears for men in the second track “Kinda Love” where she takes you on an imaginative journey of what things would be like if we could customize our significant other and have them delivered right to your door. As you can see in the accompanying music video what in theory seems like it would equal up to the man of her dreams quickly becomes more of a nuisance to a point where she decommissions him by spraying him down with a hose before burying him in her backyard. Although the verse from D Smoke serves as the male perspective of a guy who wants to provide happiness for a woman with unrealistic expectations, even without it this song is relatable to anyone. 

Next is the sexually charged “Tick” featuring SiR in which things have started to heat up between her and her new guy. Lyrics like “Didn’t think that I would cum / But you beat it up like I’m your enemy” gives the poetically explicit record enough edge to balance out the mid-tempo vibey instrumental. This has definitely stood out as a song that I play often. If I were given A&R duties over at Raedio and asked about my opinion on any potential remixes, sonically a version of this record with a guest verse by Tink would be a perfect fit. 

“Whorey Heart” is self-explanatory and listening to it made me check my former self as I reminisced on times my heart was a little too whorey for my own good. Musically the beat and the melody start out with a swing era jazzy type of vibe before morphing into a sort of reggae-ish sequence where she gives you bars like: 

But I, 

Kinda wanna see if the D is worth the lesson 

Should I... 

Be another speck in ya pum pum collection? 

If I... 

Take it down, lay it down, go all in 

Will I... 

Act apalled when you're fucking my best friend? Yes 

And if that wasn’t enough of a ride the beat switched once more this time featuring a modern hip hop trap-ish inspired 808 sequence which makes this record a great example of TeaMarrr’s genre less potential. 

The story moves on to the disappointment of a lover who doesn’t know what he’s doing on “Doing it Wrong” before moving into what would be considered her biggest record to date “One Job,” where she has opted for a more purely sexual situation but that relationship too goes from satisfying to flat as the physical connection begins fade and all those male insecurities that all of guys have begun to show up. 

“Cool Enough” is reflection on pain yet it’s also about taking your power back. As we have seen in the story thus far there is some hurt that was caused by the guy in question, but just like in life she doesn’t show it on the surface, instead she fires shots at her soon to be ex as she sarcastically taunts him. 

“Cry Baby” and “Done” fit perfectly together in sequence as she begins to progressively slow it down a little, as she begins to deliver these records in more of a diary style recounting experiences and reflecting more than actually experiencing it in real time before she ultimately starts to build up the courage in “Done,” as she recognizes that it is time to walk away from this situation. 

The album closes with “I’m That” featuring Rapsody is where she regains or better yet reasserts that confidence that you heard early on in the project along with some timeless bars from one of Hip Hops more underrated lyricist in Rapsody. 

Regardless of how the singles may fair as far as charting is concerned, and whether or not traditional radio embraces the project or not “Before I Spill Myself” is timeless and incredibly relatable body of work that should put a lot of people on notice as she continues to pour out her soul one cup at a time. In my opinion this is one of the better Albums that has come out this year and I’m very optimistic about TeaMarr’s future. 

Click Here To Listen To Full Album

At the time that I’m writing this Ungodly Hour currently sits at a score of 80 on Metacritic which although that seems to mirror the consensus I think that the score should be more in the mid to higher 80’s if not in the 90’s. The Guardian gave it 4 out of 5 stars while Rolling Stone gives it 3.5, I’m leaning more towards a 4.5 as this album sonically could almost be considered “perfect”, in terms of what it needed to be and all the delicacies, perceptions, and execution that as Beyonce herself says was “Flawless” in it’s execution. Ungodly Hour was exactly the album that Chloe X Halle needed to make. Entertainment Weekly seems to think that this album won’t produce a single that will crack into the Hot 100, I happen to disagree.

The album features the single “Do It,” which had a viral moment on TikTok because of the song’s popular dance and reached No. 9 on Billboard’s R&B songs chart, marking the first time a Chloe x Halle track has appeared on any Billboard chart.

The Bailey’s have been known to self produce a lot of their music and they managed to still stick to that formula converting the garage of their new home in Los Angeles into a home studio while still incorporating a few high powered creators to the mix. 

Unlike their last album this one features some popular producers and songwriters like Sounwave, Disclosure, Scott Storch, Victoria Monet, Boi-1da and Mike WiLL Made-It. 

The girls still remained in creative control of the overall sound and direction and it shows. This doesn’t sound like 2 girls just singing a song that someone placed with them, everything is seamless. 

Both sisters co-wrote all the songs on the album. 

Chloe Bailey produced 3 songs alone on the project and has a total of 10 production credits.

She also recorded the duo’s vocals for 12 tracks. 

Halle Bailey worked as an assistant engineer on all the songs, and co-produced two of them.

The Intro of the album is the strategically placed intro of the opening track, one of my instant favorites “Forgive Me” which out of all the records on the project was the perfect choice to set the tone of the album, and show incredible growth just in terms of how the record came together. 

The Intro transitions into the main record after the phrase “Don't ever ask for permission, ask for forgiveness” leading into a verse from Chloe recalling an experience with a guy who wasn’t quite who she thought he was, a verse that she freestyled.

If i’m looking for a metaphor this song kinda rips the bandaid off of this antiquated perception of who a Disney princess is expected to be with Halle starring as Ariel in the live action Little Mermaid, while still remaining on brand and exactly the type of young star that companies like Disney want to be in business with. Flawless.

The Chloe produced “Baby Girl” is a record that I find myself going back to often. The layers, melodies and transitions of this song gives it good vibes and replay value.

"Tipsy" bends and sways, drunk on mad romance; slow-rolling YOLO anthem "Rest of Your Life" rides a heady dance-floor gospel high while UK house duo Disclosure sculpt a dreamy vibey backdrop for the title track.

I think “Lonely” has a lot of potential when I think of how it fits within the airwaves and playlists that have records like that one Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj record “Say So” and The Weeknd’s “In Your Eyes” Remix both currently charting high and doing well.

“Wonder What She Thinks Of Me” may not be the most obvious single but once again it’s all about what lens you're looking through; sonically there's so much that was put into this record that you can’t actually box it into any specific genre exclusively; it’s not pop, it’s not rnb, it's not alternative rock, it’s simply just music.

When you consider all the factors and ingredients that had to go into this album from the production and lyrics to the not too overtly sexy sex appeal this transition from innocuous adolescents to strong and independent young women was in my opinion executed just about perfectly; or as Beyonce say’s “Flawless”.

Listen to full episode here:

Higher Learning Potcast - Piss of the Cheetah

Listen to the full episode here:

It's Not Just Me - Ep. 24 | No Re-Gifts + The Hopeless Romantic