Alone for the first time…

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[5.22]

Hannah Jocelyn: I wanted this to be better than it is, because I really liked not only the Kaytranada collaboration, but the awesome, Grammy-nominated Ego Death. This song is Syd deliberately trying to sound “mainstream,” but that’s kind of the problem — when musicians try to go “full-on pop” or mainstream or whatever, that means someone like Greg Kurstin (or Max Martin if you’re really lucky) absorbs them into their sound, to results that are sometimes dull, but always pleasant. Here, it means the sultry, weedy mainstream of albums like Anti or songs like “Bad and Boujee,” which is hard to pull off, especially when the beat winds up too dark and minimalist. There’s none of the edginess that made Anti fascinating, nor any of the spirit that allows Migos to transcend whatever beat they have. This is true for the lyrics, too: “People drowning all around me/So I keep my squad around me” — even knowing that “All About Me” is really all about her squad, that doesn’t make it into the defiant statement that Syd and Steve Lacy are going for. It’s clearly a one-off, though, so I’m not worried.
[4]

Katherine St Asaph: Syd forgoes the splashy introduction her solo debut could have been (assuming one wasn’t already introduced by Odd Future, or The Internet, or the infinity guest hooks she’s done in the past few months) for a hollow beat with a hollowed-out vocal. The level of energy suits the times.
[6]

Ryo Miyauchi: A big lack in Syd’s solo anthem is presence: despite all this talk about family, she sounds lonely and half-there as she toasts solo with the phantom of a club beat. But the song might be this way on purpose. “People drowning all around me” is the line I pick up from her in the chorus, and the whole time Syd sounds like she’s frozen from seeing ghosts.
[5]

Crystal Leww: “All About Me”‘s star is that creepy beat as Syd’s vocals are altogether fairly underwhelming (and mixed way too low), but I’m still excited for what’s to come from one of Odd Future’s most promising members. 
[5]

Jonathan Bradley: Syd’s Odd Future days are long behind her, but “All About Me” has, in its eerie and lo-fi simplicity, some of that group’s makeshift approach to sonic construction. Peppered with Rick Ross growls and other assorted ad-libs, filtering in like ghosts of Soundcloud playlists, her debut makes synth-pop out of hip-hop tools. Syd’s sleepy mumble is bent into rap cadence with indie rock rejection of guile: as if Metro Boomin’ were producing a Public Image Ltd record.
[7]

Micha Cavaseno: No matter who it comes from, generic trap-inspired production and half-mumbled anthems that make being a melancholy heartthrob who does it for the team is going to be done-to-death. I just don’t see why we should celebrate Syd getting the opportunity to be a unique individual who gets to say the most banally acceptable ambitions.
[2]

Thomas Inskeep: Spare, trappish R&B that could stand to have a little more going on.
[6]

Alfred Soto: Humid, musky, “All About Me” has presence and a cool 808 bass. This Odd Future fellow traveler has a slogan anyone can remember: “Take care of the family that you came with.” Memorable like Syd isn’t.
[5]

David Sheffieck: In the beat and in Syd’s delivery, this sounds carefully restrained — almost subdued. But behind that measured facade there’s a quiet confidence that allows this to work: she draws attention slowly in to herself, rather than demanding it upfront. There’s a risk to that, especially in launching a solo career — I didn’t fully pay attention until my second listen — but the reward is high, and she nabs it.
[7]