Jorja Smith has released new single ‘I Lied, You Lied’, the final taste of her forthcoming third album What Are The Odds, arriving August 21 via FAMM / The Ordard.
‘I Lied, You Lied’ finds Smith picking apart a relationship that has become trapped somewhere between attraction, dishonesty and emotional fatigue. Rather than lingering in the uncertainty, she recognises the point at which the familiar cycle has exhausted itself, moving from frustration towards the clarity of finally walking away.
There is defiance in that decision, but Smith doesn’t flatten the relationship into something easily dismissed. The tension comes from still caring for somebody while recognising that affection is no longer enough to justify remaining inside a damaging dynamic.
Co-produced by P2J and Marco Bernardis, the track keeps things deliberately uncluttered. Electronic programming sits alongside piano and saxophone, creating space around Smith’s vocal rather than competing with it. The arrangement suits a song built on uncomfortable recognition, allowing the detail in her delivery to do much of the work.
It also provides another indication of the broader musical territory Smith is exploring on What Are The Odds. Her third album pulls UK Garage, Grime, 2-Step, UK Funky and House into her established R&B vocabulary, while maintaining the intimacy that has defined her songwriting since ‘Blue Lights’ arrived a decade ago.
Created independently with P2J, the record finds Smith working on her own terms and reconnecting with the instinctive pleasure of making music. That sense of autonomy feels particularly relevant to ‘I Lied, You Lied’, a song ultimately concerned with recognising when something has run its course and having the confidence to move beyond it.
The single follows a significant run of live dates for Smith, who has just completed six shows as special guest for Harry Styles at Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros. She now heads directly into album release week, with What Are The Odds arriving on the same day she co-headlines All Points East at London’s Victoria Park alongside Tems.
Ten years after ‘Blue Lights’ first introduced Smith to a wider audience, What Are The Odds arrives at an interesting point in her career. ‘I Lied, You Lied’ doesn’t sound like an artist interested in marking the anniversary by looking backwards. Instead, Smith is clearing out what no longer works and moving on.
