On “Sober“, the star-gazing ambition and musical vitality of Ghanaian alternative R&B/Soul artist and producer Øbed produces a mega hit in-waiting, out now via 19fifty7.
The history of popular music is cyclical. New styles land, catch on, get co-opted into the mainstream, get worn of their novelty and then are discarded in favour of newer styles. To create something that exists independent from the context of its time, whilst also recording the feeling of that time, is the test for any artist. On “Sober”, Øbed manages to ascend to the highest peaks of inspiration.
Poised between R&B and soul, with sonic references to contemporary trap and pop, “Sober” is an odyssey of sound. A sliding leviathan trap groove pulses beneath the music as Øbed’s refrain of “Don’t ask me if I love you when you know that / I’mma tell it different when I’m sober” pulls at every fibre of a heartstring in its brutal telling of the tragicomedy of love.
Sober” is an instant classic, a global mega hit in-waiting, announcing Øbed as an artist who just can’t be denied. According to the fast-rising artist, “the songs lyrics are as honest as they could be. They directly inform another party that relationships are not a thing the speaker is good at. People may claim to love you, but it will often only last till they come down from whatever high they are on for the moment”.
#Peace.Love.Sober
