In the span of three impressive EPs, Dua Saleh has established herself as a genre agnostic. Pulling strands from R&B, pop, trap, and gospel, the restless Sudanese-American artist and occasional actor finds passion in chilling backdrops: A menacing club beat, distraught piano, and airy string suite provide a solid foundation for Saleh's drifting falsetto and strange rapping. everything from queer romance to fighting the devil. They continue to transform on the debut album I HAVE TO CALL THEMbringing their style together in a dark, skillful production of pop-R&B, rap and rock songs whose lyrics veered between sarcasm and love. It's an inventive and exciting mix that shifts the dial towards deeper, more expressive songwriting and production.
I HAVE TO CALL THEM follows a loose concept – two lovers meet, break up and reunite against the backdrop of the apocalypse – but the dystopian story is less a plot to follow carefully than scaffolding for the glittering atmosphere. Electric guitar and explosive drums on “Want” complement the song's story of a lover's magnetic pull, while the heady “Pussy Suicide” follows a raucous beat to track Saleh's romantic back-and-forth: “Was I lead you when I told you I really heal?' they ask sweetly. 'I think we could use some breathing room.' ?” – while Saleh provides proud counters to answer the question. The pair, dancing over percussion and low-light synths, are perfect complements to each other.
Saleh finds unity amidst chaotic emotions through their tactile voice, molded and shaped to exquisitely elastic effect. They sound out of sorts when they conjure up a diabolical state on “Playing Games” and unleash a blood-curdling scream on the thunderous climax that closes on “2 excited.” Saleh more often than not strikes a silvery falsetto, adding a slick, singsong zest to even the most irreverent lyrics, à la nimble singers like Amaarae. “Your bitch always crowdin' on me/Says I'm her new sexuality,” they boast in a chatter on “Coast,” an otherwise deceptively laid-back track with R&B crooner Gallant. Later, they reconnect nursery rhymes to dirty ends on “Bo Peep,” one of the few songs where you get a dose of humor to lighten the mood—it takes skill to pull off a line like “Patty gotta cake that she wants me to taste.” rolls off the tongue and Saleh's nervous delivery makes it click into place.
