KHALID HAS

one of the most beautiful voices in the industry right now. It’s textured and emotive: the lower register is gritty and soulful, the higher, dreamy and controlled.

It’s just a shame that his music isn’t always on the same level.

Suncity feels like the sleepy comedown from American Teen.

It’s a 20-minute, seven-song collection of samey, low-tempo songs, which are a little too chill, built around simple guitar or piano melodies.

The lyrics are relatable in the way that horoscopes always apply: the themes are universal — love, sex, existentialism, the future — and the lyrics are vague enough that you can pick out some truth for yourself.

“I wish living life was easy / But mine has been a mess/ They say it comes with the seasons / But the seasons come and go,” he sings on

Vertigo. Then on Salem’s Interlude:

“Am I walking the right way, or should I be turning around?”

So with nothing much being offered by way of either writing or energy, Khalid is saved mainly by his vocal talent and his vision for it; the distortions of his voice, the perfectly placed runs, choral swells and autotuned titbits.

The obvious highlight is the title track, a duet with the wonderful Empress Of, with whom Khalid croons in Spanish over a reggaeton beat delivering a possible new direction for the young pop star.

And maybe that’s all Suncity is; an exploration of where to go next after the worldwide hit that was American Teen.

Who knows, but whatever comes next, I hope it’s something a bit more punchy than this.