Overview On July 15, 2022 “Bad Habit” singer Steve Lacy, released his sophomore, sad-core album “Gemini Rights,” and no one could have prepared for the cultural impact, as well as the emotional resonance, it would have on all listeners. Lacy, now 24, made a name for himself in the music industry with his underground hit, “C U Girl” – a sappy, sentimental indie song detailing how much he misses his girlfriend in college. A lot of Lacy’s older songs carry themes of deep love, passion, devotion, and adoration (think “Dark Red,” “Some,” “Infrunami,” “Uuuu” etc.). But with the inception of “Gemini Rights”, long gone are his days of funky guitar-laden love, or lust, songs. Here, he introduces the ultimate heartbreak, Gemini-approved album so entrenched in bitterness and fuckboy-ery that has not only become the Gen Z zeitgeist of 2022 but encapsulates the ethos of Gen Z relationships. Lacy’s album has possibly ushered in a new analysis of love entirely – when loving someone consumes your whole being, and when loving someone is the same as hating them. He begins his masterpiece with “Static”, a brooding 2-minute song whose haunting piano and reverberating bass serve as the backdrop to an elegy of sorts to an ex-lover. His blunt lyricism – often provocative and putting music to the rage of heartbrokenness – perfectly sets up the entirety of the album. Notably, each song reflects a different fraction of emotion when going through a breakup. “Buttons” does not deny the unfairness in his past relationship, but rather, it affirms both the animosity and undying love Lacy will have for the one who treated him like a dog. Funnily enough, Gemini Right’s intermission is marked by “2Gether (Enterlude)”– a short song that plays like a mantra of sorts; replaying “together, forever” over and over again almost as an ironic interception to the resentfulness inundated in the rest of the album. The interlude plays up this dichotomy even more as it is slated right before track 7, “Cody Freestyle”. In “Cody Freestyle”, the album’s decisive fuckboy anthem, Lacy allows himself full control to seem like an asshole. Just a few lyrics – “Don’t depend on me, no/Unless you’re swallowing/I could use your deep throat/We don’t gotta be together forever/’Cause I could do better” – highlight Lacy’s lack of concern for morals and ethics (classic Gemini). Even the dark synth and bass backings perfectly reflect the “Said ‘I love you,’ never meant it” theme of the song; making for the album’s bitterest song through the lens of the enraged player. Interestingly enough, “Amber,” “Sunshine,” and “Give You the World” bookend the album with impassioned love songs. Two of which – “Amber” and “Give You the World” – feature wispy falsettos and romantic piano.
BENJI: Steve Lacy has pioneered an auditory safe space for the zodiac’s most problematic fave. Yes, in a brief 35 minutes, the RCA recording artist pleads his case in defense of the two-faced persona. He explains the detrimental freewill spirit encapsulated the spirit of the Gemini— the duplexity, the back & forth, wishywashy, here-today, gone-tomorrow. This album release was timed perfectly with my foundational earlytwenties relationship falling apart! “Gemini Rights” is an ode to the villain era, the healing era, and, of course, the goblin-mode era. From my perspective, this record is about one’s acknowledgement of self-worth, as well as their flaws, how those concepts intersect, and their inability to take away from one another. Aside from these themes, in my opinion, Lacy offers one of the most sonically interesting records of the decade by far. It’s sooooo 2020’s! With ease, he is able to fully replicate the feeling of mental stagnation, or feeling static, with a singular synth throughout his opening track. “Gemini Rights” is an experience I would recommend to everyone who encounters this article to try at least once (or twice. Honestly please do not stop listening to this album, it is so important!). The question is not whether Geminis deserve rights, but how one should go about interacting with them. A guideline to Geminis, if you will; in the way the United States Constitution is a guideline (yes I just did that).
YAZMIN: I truly loved “Gemini Rights.” It was the soundtrack to my summer…and fall and winter. Somehow Lacy was able to crack open a facet of emotion with each song; whether it made me laugh, – Cody Freestyle – cry, – Sunshine – or scream – Static – each song lent itself to relatability one way or another. Apart from how the album made me feel (which was a lot), the technical arrangement was also exquisite. I felt as if Gemini Rights masterfully weaved a thematic thread of hating and loving; forcing the question if they are one in the same? Again, Lacy plays up the art of the Gemini. The way in which duality and polarity of emotion are a cornerstone of both the Gemini, and the heartbreak. Although I still don’t think Geminis deserve rights, I think Lacy earned himself at least one right with his album.
VANESSA: I wasn’t that much in love with “Gemini Rights”. While I always enjoy seeing the artists that I like evolve in their sound, a huge part of me is still stuck in Steve Lacy’s Demo/Apollo XXI era. It has less to do with “Gemini Rights” itself, and more so my problem with nostalgia and hesitance toward change. But I will give Lacy his flowers for a few things. I think the production on this album is well-done, but since it’s a Steve Lacy album that’s kind of a given (like c’mon, this is the guy who’s made hits using only his phone and Garageband). I also enjoyed Lacy’s singing style, specifically that signature singing accent he takes on which is most reminiscent of 90s punk rock bands (it’s giving Billie Joe Armstrong). There’s just something about that particular singing style that makes a song memorable, and so even though I think “Static” is overplayed, I can’t help but sing it at the most random moments (at this point it’s a bad habit). I admired his use of vocal layering and complex harmonies; in terms of vocal abilities, I think Lacy really outdid himself here.