I approached Tinashe’s Quantum Baby with hesitancy. The undeniable meme status of the album’s first single, “Nasty,” had me thinking the record would be full of meatless, understated hooks, made specifically with TikTok in mind. And while the album leans into repetition and is not the most dynamic or jaw-dropping, it slowly grows on me with each listen.
The album gives me the same feeling I have when I listen to Erika de Casier; the badass 808s and R&B beats are balanced in a very cool way by the understated vocals. It is sassy and sexy, yet laid back and chill.
Tinashe’s cool-girl energy is so clear on this record. She doesn’t overdo it with the production or the performance but gives just enough. The two standout songs for me are “Getting No Sleep,” with its addictive bass stabs, and “Thirsty,” with an enticing trap beat and her sweet vocals floating overtop. The final two songs, “No Broke Boys” and “Nasty” are a weak close for the album, with annoying, rushed hooks, and boring production. However, with both songs running under three minutes, and the album itself being only 22 minutes long, it’s over before you have a proper chance to get bored, like the aloof friend you have who always manages to leave a party before things get weird and incomprehensible.
I think it would have been more of an enjoyable listening experience if Tinashe had stepped outside of the pop-R&B comfort zone and explored some different sounds, or gave us even a glimpse of some sort of creative passion, but she really does not. While the record definitely shows that Tinashe is capable of writing insanely catchy hooks, catchy doesn’t always equal good and I will die happy if I never have to hear “Nasty” again.
