While many of their solo contemporaries understandably fixate on shady exes, FLO also uplift the good dudes on AAA. Explicitly starry-eyed tracks like the sweet, kinda crunk “Check”—which runs down an inventory of a partner’s desirable traits (“Is he faithful? Check…”) over sweaty trap 808s—and the doting “Bending My Rules” celebrate steady, dependable men. On lead single “Walk Like This,” with its stiletto-clicking beat, they sing about the aftershocks of great sex—wobbly knees and emotions—while the Dreamgirls-inspired title track, “AAA,” is a whispered invitation to foreplay over a suite of go-go snares and showy hi-hats. These songs might feel traditionalist in some ways, but FLO’s idea of partnership is reciprocal and well-earned. “If I give you everything, it better mean everything, not just anything,” they clarify on “AAA.” Later, they wonder, “How does it feel to know I could have anyone but you the one that I want?”
Just when the vibe starts to get too coddling, they balance it with a little venom, threatening to key cars on the cautionary tale “Caught Up,” a femme-fatale callback to the millennial aloofness of Blu Cantrell. This course correction happened intentionally in the midst of recording. Douglas told Dazed this past September, “We were able to see that we had four songs that were, like, ‘I love my man,’ and four songs that were [all] ‘I’m a Bad Bitch,’ but where were the songs about ourselves?” One of their self-love gems, “In My Bag,” features a bullish GloRilla guest verse and a speedy beat switch-up made for Peloton rides while FLO boast about being their own biggest fans: “What I got is manifested/I don’t even gotta try.” It’s an aspirational level of self-possession in the lineage of TLC. Even the icy breakup anthem “IWH2BMX” (“I Would Hate to Be My Ex”) exudes glow-up energy: “I’m a pop star like Rihanna,” they gloat.
What makes these songs particularly striking is FLO’s vocal chemistry and equity. Their primary collaborator, British producer-songwriter MNEK (whose credits include Beyoncé, Little Mix, Kylie Minogue, and Dua Lipa), keeps the group’s tones warm and precise as the album winds down to dreamier slow-burners like the pillowy “Soft” and “On and On,” a blushing ballad that feels like a soothing spa soak. As a collective, FLO and MNEK are keyed in on the exact sweet-and-salty frequency that makes a girl group pop. Impressively, none of these tracks feel like filler, and even some of the less immediate standouts take a charming or surprising turn, whether it’s the lush, slightly maudlin Dynasty-style strings on “Shoulda Woulda Coulda” or the rock-leaning closer “I’m Just a Girl,” a rallying cry about facing industry pushback. It’s a record that, while out of place tonally and potentially polarizing (“This song ain’t for everybody,” they acknowledge at one point), shows FLO’s willingness to experiment.
Perfection isn’t just the goal for the average girl group—it’s gospel, and FLO are shamelessly invested. The quest isn’t literal, of course (nobody’s flawless), but about following the examples set by their forebears: clean vocals, tight harmonies, and choreography with something meaningful behind it. Quaresma told Teen Vogue, “I think we feel like we’re in good company with the girl groups that have come before because we know that we can work hard enough to be seen as one of them one day.” You can tell they’ve studied not just their influences’ lyrics, enunciations, and double-time flows but all the intangibles, too (they’ve sung on treadmills for practice like DC). And they’ve used that knowledge to craft a debut that’s neither overly formulaic nor purely decorative, one that comes from a youthful, self-actualized lens. Acesss All Areas makes a case that their pursuit of a more perfect union is within reach.
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