On Guchi’s sophomore outing, she’s evolved into a more assured and refined version of herself.
When Guchi’s debut, Purple Diary arrived three years ago—it showcased yet another female artist adept at the art of making beautiful, Afrobeats adjacent soul music. No Skips, Just Feelings thrives on that foundation but is even more ambitious and it has her dabbling in pop and bashment waters. She established her sonic identity with her debut and is now further dimensionalizing the depths of that talent.
EP opener, Your Body has Guchi in her swooning bag but it’s not necessarily a male love interest she’s talking to. This track is dedicated to beautiful women and it assures them they’re special in every way and shouldn’t dim their lights for anyone. The mid-tempo pop beat has a ballerina-esque, swing twist to it and Guchi flows effortlessly on it, knowing the beat needs to breathe.
On Butterfly, Guchi gets sentimental and tells her lover she’ll do anything to prove her love because he’s proven his worth in moving the heavens and earth in the past. It’s a standard Afro-Pop bop but there is something earnest about the lyrics and melody that audiences will find easy to anchor themselves in. Perhaps, it’s the fact that love is a universal language we all spend most of our existence trying to prove ourselves worthy of.
Balance is this writer’s favourite on the EP and it’s the one where Guchi really shows out and displays how much she’s evolved over the years and gotten so acclimatised to pop soundscapes. She sings about her detractors but somehow doesn’t come off as bitter or vindictive, but instead manages to sound grateful that she proved all her doubters wrong in the end.
Tsunami is the partial sequel of Balance. It has the same effervescent, kinetic bounce but the drums are stripped and Guchi has to make up for it with more rhythmic cadences and she does to a great deal. It’s also the most sensual record on here, as there aren’t many vivid metaphors like comparing the licentious gyrating of a woman’s hips to a tsunami.
On Intentional, Guchi is vulnerable and wails about unrequited love and states affirmatively that she’s had enough. Like Butterfly, it has a standard Afropop sonic template but it’s the emotions brewing underneath that really pulls you in. Despite Choose You being a decent song, it’s the closest thing to a filler on the EP because it doesn’t exactly stand out the other songs and Guchi treads the same sonic soundscapes here but in a less dynamic way.
Final Bus Stop ensures the EP ends on the same high note that it hits for the bulk of its runtime. On the opener, Guchi sings about self worth and how priceless it is and on the opener here, she declares her love can’t be bought and is only deserving of the best person. A full circle moment for the EP, tying up the narrative arc and her sonic adventure in a satisfying way.
Final Verdict:
Sonic Cohesion & Transition: 1.5/2
Expansive Production: 1.4/2
Songwriting: 1.5/2
Delivery: 1.6/2
Optimal Track Sequencing: 1.8/2
Total: 7.8/10
