Track Review: Saweetie & H.E.R., "Closer"

After picking up her first pair of Grammy nominations at the end of 2021, Saweetie kicks off 2022 with yet another new single to attempt to launch her long-awaited debut album. After conquering pop radio and digital sales with the Doja Cat-assisted "Best Friend," Saweetie finds herself rummaging through the "Need to Know" singer's purse for the sound of her new single: "Closer."

A collaboration with Grammy and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter H.E.R., the first between the two artists, "Closer" is best described as the sonic step-cousin of "Kiss Me More" and "Say So." The same disco-tinged guitars and breezy pop-rap melodies anchor "Closer" and its come-hither themes. The thing with "Closer" is that nothing is particularly bad about the song, it's all just painfully predictable. Neither Saweetie nor H.E.R. sound interested in this song. H.E.R.'s falsetto-centric hook is laced with drowsiness, and Saweetie is more concerned with following Doja's blueprint than adding the spunky bits of personality that have made some of her past verses enjoyable. For example, Saweetie's cadence on "we be thuggin', clubbin', fuckin'" is very similar to the cadence Doja uses for "like it, love it, steal it, bad" in "Say So." Saweetie also dips back into her singing bag on the second half of her first verse, something we haven't heard from her to this extent since "Back to the Streets." To be fair, Saweetie's first verse is solid, but nothing can compare to the clunky conclusion of her second verse; the last four lines feel awkwardly disconnected from the rest of the verse.

"Closer" is easily digestible because it's a nothing song. This is the kind of lightweight radio fodder that programmers and department store playlist curators pray for. With that being the case, this has huge hit potential for Saweetie, and maybe finally help her debut album materialize in its entirety.

Score: 50