Track Review: Chlöe, “Surprise”

Surprise! We’ve arrived at the next pit stop on the road to Chlöe’s forthcoming eponymous debut album. Following the Gold-certified “Have Mercy” and the booty-rocking “Treat Me,” Chlöe slows things down with a come-hither tune that finds her flexing her talents in harmony construction.

Written and produced alongside IllaDaProducer, Feli Ferraro, and Scott Storch (“Do It”), “Surprise” may be a slight sonic shift, but it’s far from a thematic departure from her first two singles. “Build me up, baby, give me that wood / Make it gangsta, 'cause I like it real hood,” she sings in the song’s slinky pre-chorus. Lyrically, “Surprise” is bogged down by clumsy metaphor and stale euphemisms, but Chlöe’s vocal arrangements and the sneakily sparse production help elevate the song. The track’s sultry soundscape fits somewhere between the more uptempo moments on Ungodly Hour and the spacey sensuality of Doja Cat’s “Need to Know.”

“Surprise” is playful. Chlöe’s smoky low-end harmonies add some weight to anchor the track, while the upper harmonies bring some brightness and levity to the whole affair. Like “Treat Me,” Chlöe works her way through the song’s verses by way of an amalgamation of singing, talking, and rapping. The contrast of that cadence against the earworm hook is delicious. Out of her three solo offerings so far, “Surprise” is the strongest because there’s less going on. There’s no blaring sample or repetitive soundbites and producer tags, just an intentional focus on that terrific voice in spite of the contrived lyrics.

Score: 70