New H.E.R. Album “I Used to Know Her – Part II” Questions the Nature of Love and Modernity

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After releasing “I Used to Know Her: The Prelude” in August of 2018, H.E.R. finally follows up with “I Used to Know Her: Part II”, a poetic recollection of fading love and self-discovery.

The sequel is comprised of eight songs in total, rich with all those soft and melodic in-your-feels melodies that evoke self-reflection and profound feelings of nostalgia. H.E.R. is no stranger to post-breakup verses. In her self-titled 2016 debut album, H.E.R., the singer-songwriter quickly earned her place among the ranks of other sentimentalist artists such as Daniel Ceasar, Sabrina Claudio, and Ella Mai. H.E.R. showcases vulnerable and often neglected emotions in such a way that creates a requited resonation between her music and her fans.

Her music appeals to people on both a surface and deeper level. Her lyrics deal with the everyday struggles of the duality of human nature, a tug of war between the heart and the mind, desire and reason. In part II of the album, H.E.R. tackles the ambivalence of love in all its ordinary tragedies and glory, resulting in a seamless album that not only is aesthetically pleasing to the ear but thought-provoking to the self.

In contrast to the prelude, H.E.R. takes on a more delicate and sensitive approach with the new release. While the prelude arguably maintains the deeper and more obvious rhythmic components of r&b, part II surprisingly features acoustic sounds that augment the innate feelings of human-ness that H.E.R. touches upon. The final destination of the album emphasizes self-love and recognition of one’s intrinsic value, apart from toxic and exhausting relationships.

H.E.R. performing at the 2018 BET awards

Though as pretty as the music is, it does not shy away from uglier common events that plague modern society today. In the final and almost six-minute song “Lord is Coming”, H.E.R. freestyles over a fluid bass harmony about the loss of morally-sound values and principles in today’s material, substance-driven world. She boldly professes unpopular truths about the preconceptions of democracy, materialism, racial prejudices, mental health and so forth, leaving no subject sugarcoated.

The effect is an almost slam poetry-esque portrayal of the many faces of mankind. H.E.R. exceeds the anticipated post-breakup sound and instead delivers a more complex and complete depiction of the complications of opening oneself to love and the world itself.

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