★★★★☆
FLO returns with ‘THERAPY AT THE CLUB’ two years after the release of their debut album, ‘Access All Areas’. Made up of 16 tracks, the project consists of a range of genres, sticking to the R&B trio's usual sound, whilst adding sprinkles of pop here and there.
On the surface, the album appears confident and carefree, but after listening closer, it holds a deeper meaning full of insecurity and heartbreak. Throughout, the recurring idea of using partying and attention to deal with difficult emotions is present as the album highlights confidence as both genuine self-assurance and a form of emotional protection.
As the lead single, ‘Side Effects’ introduces a complicated view of love. It opens with a disclaimer, presenting love as something that comes with consequences, and the album is about to show them. “Pretty girls be the ones you think you want // Lover girls is what you should choose but you don’t // I’m kinda like both” comes after the spoken warning, immediately establishing that the narrator is someone who refuses to fit into one category.
The contrasting of “pretty girls” and “lover girls” separates physical attraction from emotional intimacy. Repetition of “you never know” makes the relationship appear unstable and unpredictable, reinforcing the idea that the warning cannot fully explain what might happen. Altogether, it paints the picture of how the rest of the album will claim that love is repeatedly presented as addictive and intoxicating.
The imagery of drugs and addiction is a clear songwriting technique throughout. In ‘Small Doses’, there is a suggestion that they know that they have a tendency to become consumed by relationships. “Nothing this good comes without a warning” and “Get’s you so high, next thing you’re falling” shows that love gives pleasure whilst also causing damage.
‘I Can't Be High Around You Anymore’ is another example, this time with the intoxication making the person believe that the other wants her, yet she still knows the feeling isn’t necessarily reality. With ‘Sober’, the meaning is changed as the man only communicates his feelings when under the influence and therefore hinting at how alcohol can become a substitute for emotional communication.
The title of the album, partnered with its respective song, further this imagery, too. Alcohol and nightlife are illustrated as forms of emotional medication, which links to the overall theme of whether love is the problem, or maybe it’s in fact the way of coping with that love.
The biggest contradiction throughout is that between confidence and insecurity. Whilst ‘Leak It’ and ‘Pose’ present complete control over appearance and attention (seen in links to social media, being watched and self-confidence in physical appearance), tracks like ‘Miss u Missing me’ reveals a sense of self-doubt and overthinking even in the title itself. The phrase “Mrs. Insecure” in ‘I Can't Be High Around You Anymore’ underlines this more explicitly. The album doesn’t display confidence and insecurity as opposites. Instead, they exist together in a way where confidence often feels like a way of protection.
From the title alone, it is no shock that the production element is majorly influenced by club music. The upbeat production makes the album feel fun, beautifully working with lyrics that state the opposite. Many of the tracks hone in on how partying is used to escape loneliness and emotional avoidance, creating an important contrast. The music makes you want to dance and the lyrics explain why the trio feel the need to dance in the first place.
‘THERAPY AT THE CLUB’ presents confidence, partying and sexuality as sources of freedom and ways of coping with insecurity. Throughout the tracks, the repetition of love as addictive and attention being a way of seeking reassurance, the production and lyrics work hand-in-hand to promote the possible ups and downs of nightlife culture in a way that would certainly be played in those settings.
Lily Howard
Image: ‘THERAPY AT THE CLUB’ Official Album Cover