The Singles Jukebox

Ladies and gentlemen, the actual weekend…

[Video][Website]
[4.67]

Camille Nibungco: “No Love” is a masterclass in the universal feeling of making irrational choices under infatuation and feeling like a fool post-breakup heightened in throbbing basslines and light drum breaks. “No Love” is the wishful thinking of hedonistic self-destruction that would follow if she could redo the relationship. I’m obsessed with Summer Walker’s traditional R&B butter-like voice and SZA’s alternative pop vocal prowess that transition so smoothly and harmonize like Olympian level synchronized swimming.
[8]

Nortey Dowuona: The loping bass underneath Summer’s runs is a gorgeous contrast, but as soon as the light touched synths and scraped together percussion are painted on, the whole thing begins to fade on you. The kicks are appropriately bouncy, but Summer is too flat, and she looks unflattering in front of SZA’s rippling Simlish, which at turns is vulnerable, furious and ashamed. Summer just flatly states her disgust in such a dull tone you just listen closely for SZA’s rippling waves instead.
[5]

Claire Biddles: I’m in the minority of people for whom SZA does absolutely nothing, which extends to this kind of flat collaboration with Summer Walker. Something about the way Walker sings “take…drugggs” in the chorus is very teen-girl-showing-off, which is pretty funny.
[4]

Thomas Inskeep: Two of the women considered some of modern R&B’s leading lights team up and remind me exactly why I don’t care for most modern R&B: this is so inert, all attitude and no art, singing about their purported “designer pussy,” et al. I’m too old for this shit.
[2]

Michael Hong: SZA sells it well, confident about herself and detached enough to gold dig, but Walker’s voice is so thin that any semblance of control disappears as she needs its autotune just to get through that lazy little run.
[4]

Will Adams: I appreciate the novel suggestion of reordering of a hookup so it’s fuck, then get drunk, then take drugs, but there’s not much else of note here. The harmonies swirl appealingly, the beat approaches lushness, fine. It’s as if Summer’s and SZA’s emotional detachment from the man in question bled into the song itself.
[5]