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“We’re all looking for something.” Tinashe asserts in the opening line of “No Simulation,” the adrenal intro track off of the Grammy-nominated singer, actress, and dancer’s newest record and seventh studio album, Quantum Baby, out today via Nice Life Recording Company.

“Where are we going? What do we do?” Tinashe questions. The song quickens. Blood vessels contract, plasma pumps in and out. The heart beats, and beats and beats and beats. For the rest of Quantum Baby, the second offering from the singer’s three-album rollout, Tinashe lingers just ahead of the listener, a gentle hand extended behind her, as if guiding us in through a glistening, warm darkness; a dimly lit nightclub, a ravenous crowd. Follow Tinashe through the night. She’ll take care of you.

Following last year’s major-chord focused BBY/Ang3l, the singer delivers a moodier eight-song run, complete with previous singles “Getting No Sleep,” and, of course, viral song of the summer “Nasty.” Known for a remarkable ability to curate specific ambiance through toned-down production and flirtatious vocal runs, Tinashe confirms her musical mastery throughout the project; from the sensual, breathy soprano in “When I Get You Alone,” to jubilant soon-to-be-crowd favorite “No Broke Boys,” Tinashe continues to outdo the standards that she–and she alone–sets for herself.

The mononymous singer, who has been at the helm of a house/RnB genre of her own design for over a decade, has been busy this summer: in the viral wake of “Nasty,” Tinashe appeared on  MTV’s Fresh Out Live and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, released an EP of techno/house remixes to the track, as well as “Nasty XXX” remix with frequent collaborator Tyga, and “Nasty Girl Remix” featuring fellow RnB powerhouse, Chlöe. In the months after the release of Quantum Baby, she will embark on the Match My Freak world tour in October, and will likely release the third installment of the album trio in the next year. 

After departing from RCA in 2019, the singer has exerted complete creative control over her projects, yielding works that emerge unimpeded by the opinions and outlooks of a third, fourth, or fifth party. Quantum Baby is borne of that independence: when one, inevitably, is writhing along to “Cross That Line,” or they’re half singing, half screaming: “No broke boys! No new friends!,” or even revisiting “Nasty” for the billionth time this year, it’s unmistakable: Tinashe herself has created this realm. When you’re listening to Quantum Baby, you’re with Tinashe and Tinashe alone. Take her hand, dance with her. She’s the progenitor of our night and our escort through it. 

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