Lizzo Releases New Mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling - review

Lizzo is back after a tumultuous couple of years… and she’s coming back with a bite.

Oooooh Lizzo is back and she is mad. Not like “mildly annoyed”, but like with crazy eyes and all. Just listening to IT’S THAT DEEP, the irony-packed intro of the new mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling, you already know this is going to be an unfiltered, messy, and fun album.

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard the word “bitch” so consecutively in my life in a span of 51 minutes. Now, the total playtime of this album might seem a bit short for a 22-track, 2-disc project, but I think it really is the perfect length. In less than an hour, Lizzo addresses all the controversies that have surrounded her over the last years, and she does so, as she says, with a big smile. But remember what I said at the beginning about the crazy eyes? Yeah, she also has a knife behind her back this whole time. It’s only human: if you really have to tell us how unbothered you were about the internet canceling you and how much it didn’t affect you… maybe it did.

Musically, there’s not one dull moment on this album. Production is bubbly and bouncing, Lizzo delivers line after line, rhyme after rhyme with impeccable flow. Every track on this album feels like a short burst of out-of-control rage. Like she was talking to herself in the car while the mic was on. The whole time I felt like she might just be a single bad paparazzi photo from completely losing it. It’s chaotic, it’s fun, and it's impossible not to feel the intensity.

Lizzo’s empowerment narrative has evolved. Gone is the “always-positive-no-matter-what” energy of her earlier self-love anthems. Now, she’s saying: try to mess with me, you won’t get far. I like this direction, it feels more genuine, but it does strip away some of the quirky personality that made her a household name.

The only weakness in this album is that it lacks plot. All the tracks have the same angle about the same subject matter, which makes it feel rather flat thematically. Other than that, this is a great reminder of how talented she is as a singer, rapper, writer, and multi-instrumentalist. Also, the collaborations with SZA and Doja Cat are definitely standout moments that add a lot to the album.

My favorite track: IRL

Rating: 3/5

You can listen to My Face Hurts from Smiling by Lizzo here: