At the end of 2020, Toronto R&B singer anders told Apple Music that his single “Don’t Play” was a status update for those awaiting a bigger project—a song to “remind them who I am and what’s to come,” he said. "I’ve taken a lot of time to grow and evolve and can’t wait for listeners to hear what’s next.” After three highly touted EPs (one of which, 2018’s Twos, was nominated for a Juno), the nine-track Honest, his most robust release yet, explores the full breadth of his songwriting. Right out the gate, “Free Myself” is a sort of mission statement for the record, a sleek R&B track that rides a trap-adjacent beat and a glistening guitar line while allowing the singer to get intensely personal. “When I look in my eyes, I can’t see myself, can’t believe myself/I’ve been living this lie, gotta free myself,” he sings, adding a few more plates to the weight of the EP's title. That inward searching carries on through the uptempo “Lies” and the languorous title track, but anders gets the best look at himself when he examines his relationships and diverts his attention outward on “Curious” and “Save Your Emotions.” With all this self-reflection, one might think the playboy had given up his carousing ways; look no further than “Late to the Party” to disabuse yourself of that notion.
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