“That’s Wild” is a collaboration between Atlanta producer SØ and singer Odaye that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of the moment you realize the person whom you’re into is NOT into you. The groovy R&B track gives you an opportunity to sulk in your rejection, but it is so relentlessly catchy that by the end of it you’ll have forgotten about the whole ordeal.
Heartbreak used to be your crush calling you on their purple cordless house phone during a Boy Meets World commercial break to tell you they don’t want to go out with you anymore. In 2021, crushes aren’t as blatantly coldhearted as they used to be, but their tactics are just as soul-crushing. Now they just drag you along through one-sided text conversations until you finally take the hint, as Odaye apparently found out the hard way. This song feels just like the sigh you let out after typing out the essay-long summary of your day to your crush only for them to reply, simply, “that’s wild.” In that moment you feel a flood of so many emotions, but SØ highlights all the right ones to keep our heads nodding and not take it too hard.
Singer Odaye has such a command over the melody throughout the entire track; he could make it do backflips and somersaults if he wanted to, but he stays calm and restrained as to not distract from the brilliant production. He sits right on top of the beat and rides it all the way home. The lyrics speak of a modern heartbreak that is so distressing, but SØ/Odaye make it all feel like an optimistic shrug. It’s really a brilliant artistic choice because this song could have easily been another Jhené Aiko/Drake alone-in-your-room-type of track, but instead it keeps its bounce and it’s a better song for that.
“That’s Wild” is an A+ collaboration between two artists that speak the same language and complement each other so superbly. So here’s to a dozen more collabs from SØ and Odaye in the future. In the meantime, you’ll no doubt have this song on repeat.
Written by Tim Clark
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