When most people think of Swae Lee these days, they get a blast of nostalgia. Swae Lee and his brother Slim Jxmmi made some of the most iconic hits of the early to mid-2010s. Both SREMMLIFE and SREMMLIFE 2 were some of the most lit albums of their time. Both records produced many hits, with Rae Sremmurd creating their own lane of Electronic Party Trap music. When he was in his prime with Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee was praised for his Pop sensibility and his adaptability. He started to showcase this when he started to release solo music and get on features. Highlights of his solo work were ‘Sunflower’ with Post Malone, ‘Unforgettable’ with French Montana, and ‘In The Dark’ with Jhene Aiko. Surprisingly, though, up until this point, Swae Lee never dropped a full solo project. It feels like he should have done so a long time ago with how popular some of his stand-alone solo tracks have been. After many years of waiting, Swae Lee has finally dropped a new solo album called SAME DIFFERENCE. Below, I wanted to highlight a few favorite tracks from the record, as well as give some thoughts on it as a whole. Please let me know in the comments what you think of Swae Lee and SAME DIFFERENCE. 

NO CALL NO SHOW (FEAT. NAV)

Swae Lee started this record on a super rowdy note. The opening track, ‘Tomato/Tomáto(Same Difference) is a high-key Drill track and a fiery introduction. ‘No Call No No Show’ is not quite as intense as the first song, but it is certainly in the same realm. I think this is such a good example of a gritty and Dark Melodic Trap song. The melody for this song is so interesting and groovy. Even though it feels so ultramodern, the bassline that drives this one makes it feel inspired by old school funk. This bassline is complemented by synths with a high, distorted tone that adds a very atmospheric effect to the song. The beat pounds and rattles, making this track feel larger than life. I would not say that Swae Lee or Nave necessarily do anything spectacular with their vocals, but their flows both ride the instrumental nicely. They actually have pretty similar delivery on this one to each other, making the song feel very steady throughout. ‘No Call No No Show’ is a trippy banger that keeps the energy high to begin the album. 

NO CALL NO SHOW (FEAT. NAV)

After those first two opening tracks, Swae Lee slows down the energy of the album considerably for a while. Out of all the more laid-back and soft songs on this record, ‘Mural’ with Jhené Aiko stands out. The fact that a song between these two is a highlight should not be a surprise. As I mentioned in the introduction, these two have demonstrated in the past that they have very good chemistry. ‘Mural’ is a super sweet Pop song with a very whimsical feeling to it. The melody for this song makes me feel like I am floating on a cloud. The synths that drive this one are so airy, and the sound effects that surround it add to that floaty effect. The sleek Pop beat on this track makes me want to dance and relax at the same time. As cool as the instrumental is, the vocals are probably even better. Both Swae Lee and Jhené Aiko sound so good on this song. The high tones that they sing with complement each other and complement the instrumental so nicely. ‘Mural’ is a song that feels like it should be a hit from this record at some point in the future. 

SIDE EYE

‘Side Eye’ comes right after ‘Mural’ on the tracklist, and it is another one that has more of a laid-back feeling to it. I have not seen as much love for this song since the record was released, and honestly, I am surprised. It feels like a track that should be taking off more than it has. Swae Lee has demonstrated in the past on some singles and some features that he has a knack for AfroPop music, and he dives into that on ‘Side Eye.’ This track has a very warm and balmy sound to it. The melody immediately makes me think of a sunset on a summer day at the beach, which is so nice. The melody for this song is almost entirely delivered by a guitar riff, which is a cool contrast from the rest of the record. The beat also contrasts with the rest of the record nicely. The drums on this track are so intricate and fun; it has the kind of tempo that is perfect for the dance floor. Swae Lee’s vocals on ‘Side Eye’ are pretty low and soft, but they are very nice. His flow sits on the beat so well, and contributes to the song being so danceable. If ‘Side Eye’ does not eventually become a dance floor staple, it will be a staple in my playlist. 

SUITCASE (FEAT. FRENCH MONTANA)

On Swae Lee’s first solo venture back in the day, he took the world by storm with French Montana on ‘Unforgettable.’ The duo came together for another cool bop on the song ‘Suitcase.’ Like ‘Unforgettable,’ ‘Suitcase’ has a sound that one may not necessarily expect to hear from this duo. This song has a retro Pop sound that is reminiscent of the 1970s. The song kind of feels like a fusion of modern Pop Trap and Disco music. The melody for this song is very spacious and sparkling. I really like the main melody for this song, as it just makes me think of that classic R&B with the tone of the synths. Swae Lee sounds very nice on this melody. He really exhibits his range and provides a sultry element to the track. French Montana’s vocals are brief but impactful, with him providing a concise and raspy Rap verse. ‘Suitcase’ is another song where Swae Lee and French Montana prove they can make magic together. 

FLAMMABLE

As I mentioned, Swae Lee starts this album with a bang on the first two tracks. The most explosive song on the record, though, comes way later. ‘Flammable’ is an apt title for this one, because it is such an explosive Trap track. Everything about the sound of this song is massive. The melody for this song is very ominous. The synths that drive this one are so dark, and the varying levels of distortion make the song buzz. There is also a bell sound that happens throughout the track that adds to the daunting feeling. The beat for this song is super heavy and raucous, making this one feel larger than life. Swae Lee matches the energy of the instrumental with his vocals. The slides over this instrumental with its flow and keeps that huge essence of the track. ‘Flammable’ is a total banger that will get anyone’s blood flowing when they hear it. 

WORKING REMOTE (FEAT. SLIM JXMMI)

There had to be at least one song from this record that had a feature from Swae Lee’s own brother, Slim Jxmmi. We finally get that feature near the end of the record on the song ‘Working Remote.’ I have to say, ‘Working Remote’ does not have the kind of sound I would expect from these two. It really sticks out in a good way. ‘Working Remote’ honestly seems like it is directly inspired by The Weeknd. This song has the same kind of New Wave sound that one would expect to hear from The Weeknd. The melody for this song is so slick and cold, being driven by very retro-sounding synths and complemented by futuristic sound effects. The beat is twitchy and groovy, and has that classic New Wave feeling. Both Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi kill it on this song, in very different ways. Swae Lee’s vocals definitely emulate the tone and style that The Weeknd would sing with. Slim Jxmmi provides a solid rap verse that provides a cool contrast from his brother. ‘Working Remote’ has a sound that works really well with Swae Lee’s vocal style, and I would have loved to hear more music on the record that is like this. 

TAKE MY HEART (FEAT. POST MALONE)

The first moment for Swae Lee teased that he could be a Pop star was on the song ‘Sunflower’ with Post Malone back in the day. Swae Lee and Post Malone finally return together on the lost song from this record with the song ‘Take My Heart.’ Swae Lee and Post Malone obviously realized how well the formula worked for what they made before, because ‘Take My Heart’ has a sound that is adjacent to that one. This track is a bit heavier and more Hip Hop, but I can still feel the correlation. The synths that drive this melody are chilly but bright, there are some lower and more distorted synths that do come in, which give the instrumental depth. This song contains a bass-heavy Pop-Trap beat that is pretty enormous. As one may expect, both artists sound very good on the instrumental. They both ride the instrumental nicely with their flows, and the way that their vocals contrast and complement each other is soothing. ‘Take My Heart’ makes me wish that Post Malone would finally go back to making Pop-Trap music, because he especially excels here. 

As I alluded to in the introduction, this solo album from Swae Lee was a long time coming. I would venture to even say too long, though. Because people probably expected a record from him years ago, it did not seem like there was as much hype around SAME DIFFERENCE as there probably could have been. If you have heard all of those solo Swae Lee songs and features back in the day, you would know that it seems like he has a ton of versatility as an artist. He has the vocal style and charisma where it feels like he could make any type of music. Weirdly, him having that ability may be something that holds this album back, a bit. I think that the high points of SAME DIFFERENCE are really high. As you can tell from what I wrote about the songs above, I think that there are some real potential hits on this record. Songs like ‘Flammable’ and ‘No Call No Show’ are intense and fun bangers, while songs like ‘Mural’ and ‘Side Eye’ are softer and sweeter. He even did something I did not expect at all on the song ‘Working Remote,’ and it worked very well. The thing is, though, this album is 16 songs. As good as those 7 are (and the opening track ‘Tomato/Tomáto(Same Difference)’), there are several forgettable and mundane tracks on this project. Unfortunately, the album does have a few straight-up skips. Another thing that throws me off is the timing. There really does not seem to be any structure to the sound of this record. There will be a couple of hard songs followed by a few soft songs and immediately get super tough again. I just wish that the transitions felt more seamless. I find the feature selections interesting on SAME DIFFERENCE. For someone who seems like he could work with everyone, pretty much all of the features are people he is definitely very familiar with. Swae Lee does perform well throughout the album and shows a lot of diversity vocally. His flows are great and he demonstrates impressive range throughout the project. Overall, SAME DIFFERENCE has some great songs, but does not have a lot of consistency. It is not the kind of record I will probably return to listening to all the way through, but there is still something to love about it.