Steve Lacy ‘The Lo-Fis’

California native Steve Lacy co-produced a Grammy-nominated album while he still in high school. Now 22 years old, Lacy’s latest project, The Lo-Fis, takes us back to that time in his life; it’s a 15-track album of SoundCloud songs and unreleased demos and instrumentals, all from his years in high school.

Lacy joined the band The Internet in 2014 and has used his soulful, positive spirit to drop straight heat in the alternative R&B scene ever since. He is a different breed when it comes to songwriting, producing, singing and playing guitar. 

The Lo-Fis was highly anticipated by fans following Lacy’s nearly-fatal tragedy this summer when he was hit by a drunk driver. 

After the accident, Lacy was feeling blessed to be alive. He shared on Instagram “that I’m still alive glow hit different. Please don’t drink and drive people. This drunk fuck hit me head-on and ran. accepted my fate, but we still here. Black lives matter tho bish we not done.”

This project is a reminder that life is short, unpredictable and extremely precious. 

The Lo-Fis features shorter songs that just leave us wanting more. The first track, “Atomic Bomb,” is a great opener with a smooth, slow-rap funk.  At such a young age, Lacy had a maturity in his music and his stylistic choices were far ahead of his time.  

“Thats No Fun,” “Infrunami,” and “Donchano” have a similar vibe to a combination of R&B and cloud-rap music produced today, and are some of my favorites on the album. 

If Lacy didn’t make it clear that he produced these songs in high school, we seriously would never know. 

On a different note, “Hummer,” “When I,” and “Uuuu” have retro-sounding beats that give the songs a really mellow, bluesy sound. “4real” is a fast, fun love song and makes me want to dance around in disco pants doing the twist. 

To perfectly wind down the album, the guitar in “I think I should” and the soft vocals of “Cocky Girl” reassure that Lacy truly can do it all.

I am not surprised at all by how quality this project was for Lacy – or I guess for 17-year-old Steve. Taking into consideration the hits he’s produced with The Internet, he is without a doubt going to be a legend in R&B.

I love the story behind this project. It’s sending good vibes all around and a reminder to appreciate every day we live. 100% a must-listen. 

10/10

Written by Stevie Kane, Edited by Emma Barsky