“Parallel realities does exist, you know?” Sev7en Taylor says in the opening seconds of his single, “Age of Aquarius.” The intro of the track is a perfect fit for the recently released Bless a Bee. EP, a project that takes the listener head first into Taylor’s alluring and confident world — one that is well-rounded musically and equally as drawing artistically.
In this reality, Taylor doesn’t let the confines of eight tracks prevent him from developing a project that is grounded in character development; whether or not the track list’s placement was intentional, Taylor delivers an EP that manages to document his work in an arrangement that feels subliminally like a showcase of artistic growth.
“Champion,” the first track on the EP, is a bold start to Bless a Bee., and it’s one in which Taylor gets to broadcast the pointedly striking persona that makes a listener a fan. The song, musically, is strong, but the attitude that Taylor brings to the verses is what makes it a standout among the track list. “I am the champion,” Taylor proclaims in the chorus, and he keeps winning beyond track one.
Also in the top half of the project, Taylor gives a nod to The Craft with “I Bind You Nancy,” which feels plays out like a haunting club track. In an interview with Hype Off Life, Taylor explained that the song reflects the fake love he receives, particularly on social media, documenting the tribulations that come with being an up-and-comer in the music space.
While it carries a different message than its inspirational material, “I Bind You Nancy” paints a clear picture of the frustration that comes with discovering one’s true, enduring supporters (and all of those who lack that lasting authenticity).
And Taylor is not one to shy away from an eye-catching visual experience. The music video for “Throat,” the latest of the EP’s singles, practically bleeds glamour with Taylor donning nova check-patterned frames and sipping Champagne.
What meets the eye is just as powerful as the track is lyrically; “Throat” is a no-bullshit, self-assured take on sex that doubles as both an ideal dance track and a major boost in self-esteem. It’s clear that the physical space for the visual is small, but it gives a well-deserved nod to Taylor’s artistic presence as a result; the apartment used for filming “Throat” is Taylor’s stage, and he undoubtedly owns it.
Taking on another pop culture reference on the EP, “Jennifer’s Body” featuring J GRGRY provides a fittingly rock vibe for a song that calls back to the edgy film that earned a cult following. It’s yet another show of Taylor’s versatility in sound, shining a light on his relatively swift change in genre with a vastly different tone than “Whisper,” the track just before it. Relatably, “You want to go out to the movies, I just want to lay in my bed,” even seems to wink at the rockstar-esque nature of the track.
“Jennifer’s Body” is undoubtedly an outlier among the other tracks on Bless a Bee., but the transition still feels comfortable as the EP eases to a finish.
Closing out the project, “Demon Time” provides more of an R&B feel than the rap Taylor highlights on the rest of the EP. The track gives way for Taylor to demonstrate his chops as a vocalist, and the result is a smooth, sexy song that lulls the project to a soft, intimate conclusion. Subjectively, “Demon Time” might just be the most musically impressive song on Bless a Bee. as it places Taylor’s greatest strengths as an artist on a pedestal while providing delicate closure to the EP.
Though it cannot be confined to a single genre, Taylor’s diversity in sound across Bless a Bee. is somewhat of a sampler of what he can do artistically. He doesn’t need one label to define his music, though if he leaned into one particular sound that appears on the EP, he would surely find new paths to shaping it with a similar uniqueness to the tracks on this project.
Bless a Bee., though not Taylor’s first project, is a smart means of saying “hello” to new listeners in eight different ways, and each is equally as welcoming (and even more pleasingly unpredictable).