It’s been almost 4 years since the release of Steve Lacy’s previous album “Gemini Rights” and since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting a new album. After the viral success of his song “Bad Habit” in 2022, Steve Lacy became one of the most recognizable voices across the internet. The track dominated tiktok, climbed the charts, and introduced many to Steve Lacy’s unique music style. For those of us who have been spending months dissecting every teaser on Instagram, the wait is finally over! Lacy released his latest single “the feeling” on June 5th ahead of his new album “Oh Yeah?” that will be released on July 17th, 2026. 

After teasing that he was working on an album throughout the fall of 2025, Lacy took to Instagram back in May to reveal the chords to the new song on piano. Unsurprisingly, fans immediately began speculating in the comments whether this teaser would manifest into a new project or not. In the days following that post, he teased lyrics and posted a snippet of the song. He later revealed that this song would be released on June 5th along with its music video. 

Building on the dreamy and laid back funk influences that define Lacy’s previous hits, “the feeling” is a beautifully fitting addition to Lacy’s discography. The song is about wondering whether the person that’s constantly on your mind feels the same about you and finding it difficult to escape thinking about them. Throughout the song, Lacy explores how difficult it is to remain “just friends” with someone he shares a deep history with and going back and forth on whether or not to act on the feeling of wanting to reach out to this person.

We’ve all been there right? Someone is constantly on your mind and no matter how hard you try to think about something else, you find yourself wondering if they’re thinking about you too. Lacy spends the entirety of this track feeling the same way and wondering whether those feelings are shared. Much of the song’s emotional weight comes from the repetition of the chorus where Lacy asks “am I your baby?”. It’s a simple question but still does a fantastic job of capturing the uncertainty at the center of this track. We hear Lacy recount memories of his time with this person and how much their time together is adding to this feeling of longing to be more than friends with this person. We finally see Lacy give in to these thoughts and decide to call the person rather than keep his feelings to himself.

Accompanying the single is a simple yet beautiful music video that is a perfect representation of the song’s emotional message. Moody lighting, dark visuals, and neon accents allow for Lacy’s performance to shine. While keeping it simple, the aesthetic of the video complements the song’s sense of longing and uncertainty. 

Production wise, the piano melody that was teased is present throughout the entirety of the song and pairs well with Lacy’s vocals. The layering of vocals, percussion, and funky bassline all work together to create an overall gorgeous track that many are already calling the song of their summer. The song closes with gorgeous strings and layered vocals that feel almost cinematic, leaving listeners with just enough to hold them over until the rest of the project releases on July 17th.