Nick Hakim's third album, "I Can See," finds the Baltimore singer-songwriter fully embracing the hazy textures of what critics call "stoner R&B." The record trades the angular, art-rock sensibilities of his earlier work for something far more immersive and groove-oriented.
The album fits squarely within a lineage that includes Frank Ocean, Dijon, Brent Faiyaz, and Jhene Aiko. These artists share a common aesthetic: languid grooves, heavy bass, psychedelicized production, and vocals that float rather than punch. Hakim demonstrates a mastery of this approach, letting layers of synthesizers and atmospheric details accumulate into something that feels simultaneously sparse and lush.
What separates "I Can See" from mere atmospheric indulgence is its structural discipline. Hakim balances his more experimental impulses with actual songs, melodies that burrow into memory despite their soft delivery. The production work, detailed and intentional, never overwhelms the emotional core of the material.
The term "stoner R&B," stripped of its pejorative connotations, perfectly captures the album's ethos. This is music designed to be absorbed rather than parsed, to create a complete sonic environment rather than demand active listening. Yet Hakim avoids the trap of becoming background music. His vocal inflections carry real vulnerability, and his lyrical observations cut through the haze.
The album represents a natural evolution for Hakim, whose previous releases "The Predominantly White Hometown" and "Will" already pushed at genre boundaries. With "I Can See," he commits fully to this direction, creating his most cohesive and confident work to date. The album suggests that the future of R&B lies not in reinvention but in deepening the artists' own vision within a expanding sonic palette.