Still Over It by Summer Walker
Still Over It is the second studio album by American singer Summer Walker, released on November 5, 2021, by LVRN and Interscope. The album is a follow-up to Walker's debut album, Over It (2019). On the two-year anniversary of her debut album, Walker announced the release of Still Over It through a video teaser. The album includes 20 tracks, featuring collaborations with Cardi B, City Girls member JT, SZA, Ari Lennox, Lil Durk, Pharrell Williams, Omarion, and Ciara. The lead single "Ex for a Reason" was released on October 15, 2021. Background Following the release of Over It, Walker released her EP, Life on Earth on July 20, 2020, and surprised fans after announcing her pregnancy with then-boyfriend and executive producer of Over It, London on da Track. After giving birth to her daughter in March 2021, the singer hinted at new music on her social media platforms. In June, Walker shared photos in the studio with artists Omarion, SZA, and producer Pharrell Williams. In early October, Walker intended on appearing at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards' red carpet to announce her second album. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions (which Walker had been vocal about two months earlier), she was declined entry. Therefore, she shared the album announcement on social media, revealing the details outside on a projector. Promotion On October 2, Walker shared a photo of a jewel-encrusted hard drive with "Album #2" taped on the bottom; the post's caption linked fans to a separate Instagram account (of the hard drive) further promoting the album. On October 4, the two-year anniversary of Over It, Walker released a teaser via social media, sharing a skit featuring herself and City Girls member, JT. The skit involves a phone conversation between Walker, in the same attire from her first album's artwork, and JT, who appears in jail (similar to the artist's incarceration around the time of the debut album's release). Shortly after, Walker announced the album's lead single, "Ex for a Reason" with JT, as well an incomplete tracklist. The tracklist is, according to Walker, considered a "story" and is formatted into a timeline. On October 17, Walker announced a challenge in select cities New York City, Chicago, and Atlanta, where fans can listen to the album early by attempting to break a glass case with the album's hard drive inside. The challenge has been featured heavily on TikTok. Artwork On October 25, Summer Walker revealed two official album covers on her social media platforms. The main artwork, which is for the physical release, displays the artist holding her daughter while on the phone in the kitchen. The digital artwork features Walker in a car with her hand towards the camera, fending off paparazzi. The physical artwork was photographed by Deun Ivory, while the digital artwork was taken by photographer Rolex, who notably shot the artwork for her 2020 EP, Life on Earth and singer Bryson Tiller's third album Anniversary.
Summer Walker's debut full-length, <i>Over It</i>, was a critical and commercial success after its release in 2019, with the Atlanta singer-songwriter's jolting, honest lyrics and love of ’90s R&B combining for a potent opening salvo. Its spiritual successor, released two years later, tells the story of what happened in the time since Walker's rise to fame; its chronicles of love, loss and new motherhood draw on her relationship with <i>Over It</i> executive producer London On Da Track and its attendant highs and lows. “Do it your own way and do it beautifully, do it special,” Cardi B instructs Walker on the postscript of the exacting opener, “Bitter”. Throughout <i>Still Over It</i>’s ensuing tracks, Walker—with help from guests like the Miami hip-hop duo City Girls, fellow real-talking singer-songwriters SZA and Ari Lennox, and production gurus The Neptunes—runs with Cardi’s advice, revealing exactly why her music struck a chord with listeners almost instantly. Walker’s feathery voice gives her lyrics added world-weariness, with songs like the spare “You Don’t Know Me”, an acoustic ballad where she takes stock of her long-term relationship’s inherent superficiality, and “Closure”, a trap-snare-framed lament over her inability to shut down a bad-news lover, made even more striking by her blend of conversational delivery and naked vulnerability. <i>Still Over It</i> doesn’t merely wallow, though; “Ex For A Reason” is a cheerfully delivered warning to a former flame who has dared to come back into the picture, its sunny, upbeat music making Walker’s threats sound deadly serious, while “Dat Right There” is a self-assured boast aided by The Neptunes’ 23rd-century roller-rink production. <i>Still Over It</i> finds Summer Walker demonstrating her idea of the best revenge; she might be thinking of her past entanglements now and then, but she’s processing her emotions in her own way—and making art that shows how she refuses to bend to even the most heartrending circumstances.
