On the 9th of February, 2024, Praiz opened his 2024 account with an impassioned, four-track RnB EP, titled LOVRBOY. It is nigh-pefectly timed, capturing the mood of the season of love.
The road to Praiz’s third EP began with a teaser X post in January. Its title is not just self-explanatory but an in-character move, considering the abundance of romantic cuts in Praiz’s discography. The cover of his 2020 EP To The Moon featured the RnB heavyweight cuddled with his lover. However, he stands solitary and pensive on the LOVRBOY EP cover, enjoying quietude with his gaze on still waters. Thoughts of his lover presumably fill his mind, as the song’s lyrics lucidly convey.
Praiz delivers yet another immersive extended play experience on LOVRBOY, departing from the variety that defined his 2022 album Reckless. After years of catering to RnB and Alternative audiences, Praiz is more assured than ever.
He makes the most of the project’s thirteen-minute runtime by weaving in Afrobeats, RnB, Electro-funk and Amapiano, as well as a guest feature, Kingxn. The lead single, ‘Mine’, closes out the EP. Interestingly, Praiz handled the production and mixing of each track.
Praiz opens the EP with the Afro-RnB track, ‘Dey With You’. Emerging from piano riffs, he delivers a mellow and heartfelt confession of love. His vulnerability and sincerity are palpable, with unhinged admissions of his lover’s control over him (‘Charming’/‘Girl you control me’/’I’m lost in your eyes’). He affirms his continual, irresistible descent down the slope of love and his resolve to stick with his lover through dark days.
With synthesizer riffs, the project eases into the retro electro-funk track, ‘Tonight’. Unlike ‘Dey With You’, Praiz switches gears to the more ecstatic and sensual on ‘Tonight’. He sings, ‘Show me your magic’/’Show me your fire’/’Show me dramatic’/’Give me ecstatic’. The soundscape is an acquired taste, but it blends inexorably with the rest of the EP. Kingxn makes the most as the project’s solo feature, notably with the cheeky lines, ‘Can tell you baby that I’m head over heels’/’But tryna get those heels over your head tonight’. With stellar production, ‘Tonight’ has a strong argument as the standout track.
On ‘Reason’, Praiz returns to his pensive, mellow bag. He reflects on his state of mind at the time he met his lover, placing her on a pedestal with more vulnerability. With the relationship at a stage of heightened emotions, he reassures his lover of how indispensable she is to him.
‘I know that you’ve been hurting baby’/‘It gets confusing cos we’re so deep’/‘I know that you’ve been hurting baby’/‘You’re all I need the air I breathe’/‘You’re the reason’.
The fourth and final track, ‘Mine’, is yet another indication that the Amapiano wave is not going away anytime soon. On a resonant backdrop, Praiz asserts his place in his lover’s life and their togetherness for the long haul. He also asserts his willingness to go to extreme lengths. He sings, ‘For your love, I’m submissive’/’I’m ready to fight kung fu for you’.
Praiz’s LOVRBOY EP packs the requisite amount of vulnerability and resonance for a romance-themed project. Songwriting on the level apparent in ‘Reason’ would have elevated the project, if reflected in the other tracks. Nonetheless, the project is resonant and cohesive enough for the ultimate Valentine’s experience.
