There’s still time for this to be the summer of Snoh Aalegra, whose last album was 2021’s Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies. She supported it with a subsequent headlining tour across North America in early 2022 but has largely kept quiet.
Aalegra awakened her fans on July 19, posting a cinematic teaser video for “Be My Summer” on Instagram. Someone in the comments correctly assessed, “It’s giving 90s rnb and I’m READY.” Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton left a heart and praising hand emojis, and Omar Apollo and Stormzy also couldn’t contain their excitement.
The slow-burning single arrived in all its glory on Friday, July 21, with an accompanying lyric video and visualizer that presumably sets the initial aesthetic for a forthcoming project.
“Be my summer / Protect me from the rain,” Aalegra sings. The first verse finds her coming to terms with how far she’s fallen (“I tried to run away / There’s no escape, you’ve taken tenure in my heart”). By the second verse, Aalegra is feeling abandoned but won’t be discouraged by “all these walls that you’ve built” because “I know you’ve tried but you couldn’t forget me.”
“Be My Summer” is Aalegra’s first drop since “Do 4 Love” in late 2021.
Listen to “Be My Summer” above.
Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.