If you’ve been sleeping on Raiche, now’s the time to wake up. Her new EP Standards isn a sonic diary of self-worth, wrapped in velvet melodies and pulsing with defiant energy. Across eight tracks, the Massachusetts-born singer redefines not only her musical palette but the emotional architecture of modern R&B.
The title track, with its slow-burning tension, sounds like an internal monologue turned into a war cry. “Girls A Gun” flexes its attitude with gritty hooks and no-nonsense delivery, and “Be Careful” follows as both a warning and a wisdom drop, like an older sibling pulling you aside with hard-earned advice.
Raiche revisits “Big Daddy” from her 2023 debut Loveland, not as filler, but as a callback to a woman who’s come a long way. Juxtaposed against the new material, it reads like an origin story—a necessary prelude to the self-possessed narrator we meet in Standards.
“Suga” might be the EP’s crown jewel. It’s everything modern R&B should be: smooth, assertive, and steeped in groove. The horns pop like they belong in a Beyoncé halftime show, and the lyrics—“You can’t convince me that I’m not flawless”—aren’t just bold, they’re revolutionary in their simplicity. No metaphors, no smoke and mirrors. Just truth. And Raiche delivers it like someone who’s looked in the mirror, liked what she saw, and dared the world to challenge her.
On “Floating,” she lifts us into the clouds, a reminder that softness and love still have a place even when you’re rebuilding. It’s a delicate balance: the vulnerability doesn’t weaken her narrative—it sharpens it. The song is intimate, but never flimsy.
What makes Standards stick isn’t just the production or Raiche’s undeniable voice—it’s the intent. Every track feels lived-in, shaped by heartbreak, rebirth, and real-world complexity. She’s not performing for approval. She’s documenting her shift from people-pleasing to self-prioritizing. And in a genre often overrun with aesthetic detachment, Raiche’s transparency is a rare and refreshing act of resistance.
The context matters too. Raiche is stepping into motherhood, collaborating with partner Teddy Swims—whose own momentum with I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2) and a BET-nominated duet with Givēon, “Are You Even Real,” is undeniable. But even with all of that swirling around her, Standards never feels overshadowed. It’s her voice, her message, her rules.
