Review: A.G. Sully's Colorful Debut Album, “Space to Think”
Born and raised in a small town in Alabama called “Hartselle”, A.G. Sully defies all stereotypes that come along with “southern belle.” It was 2017 when she found her love and voice for soul music, drawing inspiration from artists like D’Angelo and Daniel Caesar, Solange and Frank Ocean, all artists that opened up a whole new world for the singer-songwriter. That year, she began writing her own songs, “Lil Mama” and “Fomo” to name a few, which have now reached hundreds of thousands of listens organically. Sully credits her friendships at MTSU for pushing her in a soulful direction and allowing her to grow into an authentic and brutally forward version of herself. Located in Nashville, TN, Sully is currently working on a new project coming off her emotionally driven album titled Space to Think that captures her more soulful/RnB side.
Space to Think feels like a meditation, a push towards coming to terms with yourself. Featuring soft pianos and virtuosic vocals, sub-bass and hard-hitting drums, as well as classic RnB progressions and some more surprising harmonies, the production and songwriting are equally thoughtful and expressive. The project as a whole is an introvert’s anthem and speaking on some of the darkest parts of herself, A.G. Sully has created an album that is undeniably original, versatile, and personal. Having written the album during the thick of quarantine, Sully found that this newfound space to think led her to confront some of her greatest personal demons. With head producer and mixing engineer Caleb Lee and co-producers Conner Broome and Gabe Sexton, the production of this album is filled with surprises at every turn. Consisting of energies from the vulnerable lyricism in “Deathday” to the I don’t give a f*ck energy in “Raincheck”, she leaves nothing to be desired except her next project.
Listen While You Read!
“Myself, This Time”
The first track of the album, “Myself, This Time”, is an extremely fitting start and feels like a prerequisite for the rest of the album. Minimalist, with only piano, strings, and voice as the main elements of the production, this song feels like the conclusion to a life-long identity crisis. Setting the stage for the honesty we are about to be given, A.G. tells the listener that this project holds no vanity and is not filtered to be deemed as more relatable. As she wraps up the manifestation of her genuine identity, we hear a new percussive element that brings us into the next track without pause.
“Lock My Door”
Beginning with the same piano and percussion, we are greeted by a conversation that goes something like this:
“I just don’t understand. If you don’t like living here, just get out.”
“B*tch what the f*ck you mean?”
As the bass, kick and snare come in, we start to get acquainted with the fiery side of A.G. This song is singular within the project because it is the only track that she consistently talks about another person and their actions. The lyrics of this track feel like a scathing letter to a friend or lover who’s tapped out. Coupled with the sass written into the melody and painted with the expressiveness of her vocals, this verse lays out a relationship stripped of functional communication.
As we reach the pre-chorus, we learn about what her friend has been up to when they aren’t together. Throwing dirt on A.G.’s name, it seems like this track could explode into a very rhythmic and angry chorus. This is not what we get. Instead, the chorus feels suspended in time, with a solitary ambiance; the smooth descending melody supports an unexpectedly introspective chorus. Instead of saying more about her lover-gone-wrong, she talks about her need to disconnect and separate herself from this toxic relationship.
In a quick second verse, we get a better picture of her friend’s flaws, namely, recklessness. Not impressed with the Gucci shoes and chains, A.G. returns to the pre-chorus. The second chorus introduces layers and layers of background vocals filling in space while continuing to suspend the listener.
We return to a turning point in the song where A.G. continues with words from the pre-chorus, but the production takes on a more driving energy, breathing new life into the section, which carries on into the final chorus. Starting with pulsing bass and heavier drums, the chorus opens up into a smoother feel with consistent bass underneath. With the climactic energy supported by more backup vocals, the song quickly concludes with some soft piano.
“Raincheck”
“Raincheck”, as mentioned earlier, represents one of the two most extreme energies in this album. Starting with the first guitar we hear in this album, this track encapsulates the feeling of being the “flakey friend.” With trap hats and the hardest kick and snare we’ve heard from her, this song is a dark banger.
The verse reveals A.G. no longer excusing herself for being flakey and on some level coming to accept it. Quickly switching into the pre-chorus, A.G. sticks to her stance, pushing back on the people pressing her to chill, leading us into the hook. With the bass flipping up and down the octave and the introduction of a couple of subtle synth leads, the chorus is scarce in instrumentation and lyrics. The hook leans into the individualism and freedom she feels having the will to do what she wants.
Pulling up into the second verse, the production is stripped down for a line or two but hops back into the groove without hesitation. This verse shows a more easy-going side of Sully, but she stands by the fact that she’d rather be relaxing and throws us back into the pre-chorus. With the synth from the hook being repurposed, this section has more energy than its predecessor. As we enter into the second hook, we start to catch the vibe for how stylized A.G.’s production can get. With an extremely shifted Sully panning from side to side, the energy is colder than we’ve heard so far.
Wrapping up the hook, we get a spacier production for the final and sassiest verse. This section feels like the beginning of an extended outro where A.G. Sully and her producers brilliantly reuse lyrical lines and musical ideas in new usages, briefly introducing filtered drums while Sully sings a variation of the hook. Bringing us into a climactic beat with just bass drums and Sully’s voice, pitch-shifted and peppered with dissonant harmonies until the track abruptly concludes.
“FOMO”
Coming out of the intense energy of “Raincheck”, we are greeted by Sully’s smooth single “FOMO”, with a feature from Neeko Crowe; it’s her most popular track to date. Beginning with background vocals, we hear some soft, soulful vocals from A.G. as she sets the stage of this track with a brief intro. Perfectly describing the state of having “FOMO” this section is quick but memorable, and its light energy makes the next section a bit unexpected. Out of this first section, she swings us into a brief groovy interlude featuring pocketed drums, a swelling organ, sub-bass, and a “stank face” worthy synth line.
From the very beginning, it’s easy to see why this track was selected as the single for the project. The verse further solidifies this feeling with relatable lyrics for just about any young person in our digital age. With a bouncy melody over a hit-heavy organ and bass, she talks about a bit of jealousy and contrasts her wanting to party Friday nights with trying not to miss church on Sundays. Before we exit the section, she cements the theme expressing the conflict of her desire to be introverted and not wanting to miss out on a fun night.
Returning to the pre-chorus, we get a pause from the groove with the drums heavily filtered, simple piano, and Sully’s soft vocals. Swelling into the chorus, we hear a faster-paced groove driven by a clock-like ticking, effective space produced from removing the bass and synth, and A.G’s voice floating above it all. If you listen closely, you can hear that the organ has taken up the synth line from the interlude earlier, and we seamlessly land into the second verse after A.G. tells us to “blame it on her FOMO”.
With a more minimalistic approach to the beginning of the second verse, we get a better picture of how deep the FOMO runs for Sully. From buying shoes she can’t afford to smoking even though she doesn’t like to, she’s got it bad. The production excellently highlights her lyrics by first placing hits from the synth pad, bass, and kick and later going as far as to highlight “Don’t roll one without me” by doubling the melody with mallets and the pad. This verse concludes as she sings out that she hopes God won’t forget her, which almost feels like a pious extension of her FOMO.
We reach Neeko Crowe’s verse, where he solidifies all of the ideas A.G. has presented. Discussing the contradiction of an introvert with FOMO, playing off the acronym, and highlighting his coping mechanisms, he ends his verse. Upon that conclusion, we land in an especially bare pre-chorus until we land right back in the chorus with the organ reaching for higher notes than before and the production leaving less space than the previous choruses. To cap it off, we get soft repetitions of the hook with ad-libs, backup vocals, and simple organ.
“Interlude (breathe in, breathe out)”
Acting as a brief breather, “Interlude (breathe in, breathe out)” almost feels like meditation, pushing away the anxieties about time moving forward, as is revealed in the next track. Layered with background vocals, simple electric piano, and acoustic piano, this track seamlessly progresses into the next song, “Homies”.
“Homies”
One of the softest songs on the album, “Homies”, is nostalgic and revolves around coping with the change from being young to coming of age. The piano moves the harmony consistently up and down to settle on the conclusive chord of the progression, and the words of this song are strikingly juxtaposed to each other. Sully starts by describing her fit and the freedom she felt driving with her homies in their town; the somber ambiance highlights her fears.
Moving into the chorus, it seems that production could’ve really been high energy, but the softness really shines a different light on her words, pulling the nostalgia and feelings of loss into the subject of the picture.
Exiting the chorus, we get an interlude featuring the sounds of conversation and laughter and a chime-like synth repeating the chorus melody. Landing in the second verse, she focuses on her loyalty to her friends as an organ is introduced. Moving through another chorus and interlude, we reach the most intimate part of the song. Sully reflects on what her relationship will be like with her friends in 10 years, wondering if they will still think of her and how different their lives will be. With the second iteration of “this shit don’t feel right” the high note is enough to give chills.
The last chorus is more intense, as is expected. The bass feels more present, and the mix as a whole feels wider. We are brought to the ending as A.G’s voice starts to break a bit, making the listeners truly hear and feel her loss.
“Seasonal”
“Seasonal”, the second to last track, is upbeat, groovy, and my personal favorite off of the project. Beginning with TV static and a meteorologist reporting a sunny day that will be rudely interrupted by some rain, her voice pitch-shifts down until the TV shuts off.
Off the bat, the energy is distinctly different from every other track on the album. With an exceptionally tight groove emphasized by guitar plucks, smooth electric piano, and A.G.’s vocals, the track uplifts the project’s energy. In it, she talks about throwing on tighter clothes and generally just feeling good. When we get into the pre-chorus, A.G. begins locking in with the rest of the instruments. Talking about the weight of the world being lifted off her shoulders when the sun’s out, we get some shiny, unexpected harmony under “When the sun shines”.
The chorus is simple, but the groove is so tight, and the vocals are being emphasized by the hits that every instrument has taken up. This section is the perfect summer drive vibe. Without pause, the second verse comes in with A.G. painting the picture of what she does when she’s feeling good. We go through the pre-chorus and chorus to, once again, land somewhere very unexpected.
Pitch shifting A.G.’s voice down and repeatedly shifting the harmonic center, we end up in what feels like a completely different song. With spacey electric piano and simple drums, this section seems to paint the opposite picture of the rest of the song before it. This section appears to be the thunderstorm that the meteorologist predicted; with her vocals shifted through the whole ending, Sully masterfully flips this song on its head right at the end, completing both sides of the picture.
“Deathday”
To put it simply, I’m uncertain whether or not I’ve ever heard a more honest or more vulnerable song than the final track on this album, “Deathday”. Beginning with a warped piano, the track starts small and intimate. In the verse, Sully describes a situation that calls for such vulnerability. Dropping out of school, A.G. has to face her mother’s unbridled disappointment. Driving late at night in the pouring rain, she loses control of her car but makes no move to take the wheel.
The pre-chorus expresses her fear of revealing this part of her, and as the mix fills out, she leaves us with an impactful hook “Maybe I’m more f*cked up than I thought.”
She lays out her family history in the second verse, discussing her grandfather’s drinking issues and how she thinks about how it would feel to have life come to an end in such a way. Sully admits to us that she looks forward to the day that she draws her last breath. With the second pre-chorus she defends herself just to admit, once again, that she may be more f*cked up than she thought.
The final verse feels absolutely bare, with just her voice and a reverb-soaked piano arpeggiating in the background. She references reverence with “amazing grace” as she reflects on the peace one must feel in the ground. Entering the final pre-chorus she admits how often she thinks about her end. With the last hook, she drags out the phrasing, embellishes the melody, and ends the project on a stunningly vulnerable note.
In conclusion, Space to Think is one of the most dynamic projects that I’ve come across this year. Sully’s songwriting is far from simplistic and far from vague. This album really feels like a confession to herself, and an acceptance of the person she’s become. With a refined production, this debut album is an exciting start showing the limitless potential of A.G., her producers, and collaborators.
When asked what we have to look forward to, Sully said to be on the lookout for new singles starting in the fall and she is currently working on her new project. Be sure to follow her on the platforms below and get the latest news on her work!
A.G. Sully’s Links:
