Cold War

Sy'rai describes the title as her own standoff, fighting herself, her relationships and some friendships in the period of becoming a young adult, and the eight tracks stay inside that frame rather than reaching for a bigger statement. She told Complex, "I'm 24. I'm not 12," which is the sound of an artist tired of being introduced through her mother. Brandy's name will lead every writeup this week, so the useful measure is whether the writing and the phrasing hold on their own across a short project, and "Late Night" and "Bullseye" already made that case before the EP arrived.