My first experience with Summer Walker was in my early teens and I had heard the song ‘BP’ for the first time. Soon in 2019 ‘Over It’ was released. Coming off the back of Bryson Tilller’s ‘Trapsoul’, and Partynextdoor’s ‘PARTYNEXTDOOR 2’ and Drake's ‘Take Care’. RnB was in a completely different space. It sounded different, and thematically we were in a space of agony and apathy around love and relationships. ‘Over it’ took inspiration from this sonically being primarily produced by Londononthetrack, but thematically there was a clear desire for a loving relationship, as opposed to her male predecessors.
What ‘Over it’ did was begin what would become the new RnB renaissance we see today. With songs like ‘Body’, ‘Like it’ and ‘Nobody Else’, all romantic love songs, it was clear where Walker was as a young woman and how she viewed love . This quickly changed with ‘Still Over It’, where this fantasy began to break down and she had to deconstruct what love looked like and meant to her. Heartbreak has inevitable effects on you. With ‘Still Over It’ her heartbreak exceeded her love. With it beginning with ‘Bitter’ defending this man against the women making claims against him. To end with ‘4th Baby Mama’ accepting her reality and ‘Ciara’s Prayer’ hoping for a better man and better love. ‘Finally Over It’ is the end. But what's different about this edition to the trilogy is that it seems apathetic. In an attempt to showcase healing I think Walker has decided that there isn’t much to gain with relationships to men. Perhaps the healing is more so looking for love within rather than externally. But with the album cover suggesting that she would rather engage in relationships with men for the benefits instead of love.
Atlanta born and raised artist Summer Walker has created a discography surrounding love and heartbreak. In this she has displayed the highs and lows of these emotions in the most honest way. Allowing us to connect with her and our struggles in the best way. In this album specifically she explores the idea of Heteropessimism. Heteropessimism is the idea that women feel pessimism or regret in regards to their attraction to men. Asan Serisin writes, "Heteropessimism’s anaesthetic effect is especially seductive because it dissociates women from the very traits — overattachment and “the overintensity of feeling”—for which straight culture is determined to make us ashamed…”. Coming off the back of ‘Still Over It’, a piece that owns its ‘embarrassing’ nature, it seems like a natural progression that Walker has come to this conclusion.
The album opens with ‘Scars’, a song less than one minute, discussing how she cannot love someone without seeing who they truly are. This is a recurring theme within the project. How the men she has dated have not been honest about who they are causing conflict and friction, “I cannot love you”. The album then discusses what she could’ve done for payback against this partner. One thing we all enjoy about Summer Walker is how she’s able to say the most egregious things in a beautiful manner, “I should’ve robbed you / nearly could’ve got you”. It's clear she is in a state of frustration and is beginning to give up on this love.
The song ‘No’ narrates how many of us women feel about the current dating climate. She sings “you want me slaving over a hot stove / you want me ironing and folding all of your clothes / you want me to cater to you never tell you no”. In this moment she is detailing the ways women are often unequal within their dynamics with men. Today many women are expected to perform traditional roles in relationships at the sake of themselves. Walker is saying that she is not willing to do that. Leading into ‘Go Girl’ where she, Latto and Doja Cat display confidence in who they are without men. Though it’s not all this simple.
Both ‘Situationship’ and ‘Give Me A Reason’ showcase the complexities of letting go to really be over it. Walker's voice is angelic over the guitar and she woefully sings about the stress that is a situationship, “you say we’re just friends just to string me along in a Situationship”. But ‘Give Me A Reason’, suggests that despite this informality, this lover gave them a reason to love them. But Walker is no longer buying this so she detaches. ‘Baller’ is the anthem that is ushering the next stage in Walker's life. She no longer wants love but someone who can provide and be a “shotcaller”. Love has only brought her pain, but if this is transactional she no longer needs to “lose herself to keep him home”. The narrative at this point is strong but seems to get lost. By disc two, it begins to get clouded by features that don’t seem to add much to the songs. In this, she is no longer following a linear structure which we have seen her do in the past. By the time we get to ‘Get Yo Boy’ featuring 21 Savage and ‘Number One’ with Brent Faiyaz, I’m unsure on whether we are moving forward or backwards. The cover suggests that she is playing a different game entirely. That love is no longer important to her. But these songs suggest that Walker still has a desire for relationships.
We are brought back with ‘Allegedly’, a country ballad that suggests that she is having a revelation. She “has been down this road before”, she’s fallen in and out of love but now she wants a change. ‘Allegedly’ suggests that she doesn’t want to fully commit but would rather pretend because it’s easier than getting our heart hurt, “Baby Baby / I’d die for you allegedly”. By ‘Finally Over It’ we are at the end of this chapter. But as a listener I’m not convinced that she’s healed, rather she’s bought into the same thing many other women have done. Relationships without feelings. But is this truly fulfilling in the long run?
Patriarchy causes men to not put much effort into their relationships with women. It advantages them because women are expected to do the majority of the emotional labour. Throughout this trilogy we listen to Walker detail the straining labour she goes through with the men she loves and hates. This is a biography for the zillenial generation. Relationships have changed, but is it for better or worse?
