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Syd – Beard
Clash Magazine awards Syd’s new album, ‘Beard’, 8/10, describing it as a confident and mature R&B record shaped by reflection, love and self-assessment. The review argues that it strengthens Syd’s solo identity while retaining artistic ambition, presenting her domestic happiness and recent marriage as context without suggesting her songwriting has become less sharp.
The album moves through club-focused R&B, 2000s-inspired production, bossa-inflected pop and more sparse funk, with songs including ‘Walls’, ‘Callin’, ‘Jasmin 17’ and ‘2 Many Days’. Guest appearances from Big Sean, Jordan Ward, Blu june and James Fauntleroy are praised as serving the songs rather than overshadowing Syd, whose career spans Odd Future, The Internet and two decades in American music.
In short
- Clash rates Syd’s ‘Beard’ 8/10.
- The album explores love, maturity and self-reflection.
- Review praises its varied R&B production and restrained guest features.
Explained simply
Syd is an American R&B and soul artist who became prominent through her work with the hip-hop collective Odd Future and as a member of The Internet, an influential contemporary R&B band. In recent years, she has increasingly focused on her independent career, establishing herself as a significant artist.
"Beard" is her latest album, featuring various styles within R&B alongside contributions from other musicians. The record demonstrates her artistic range and ambition as an independent artist.
Syd's work is significant because it shows how artists emerging from influential groups can build ambitious independent careers whilst maintaining the artistic qualities that made them notable in those collaborations. Her increasing focus on independent work reflects broader trends of contemporary R&B artists developing more autonomous careers.