Tems’ EP, Love Is a Kingdom, presents a challenging and consuming vision of romance defined by the need for sacrifice and total devotion. This theme is powerfully underlined by her use of repetition; in the track “Mine,” Tems obsessively repeats “You’re mine” 57 times, hammering home the concept of a union where two individual souls become one, with the singular, heart-wrenching instance of “you not mine” serving as the ultimate repudiation of that ideal.
Tems’ signature style relies heavily on this calculated repetition, a technique that permeates all seven tracks but never feels manufactured. Her voice carries an undeniable authenticity, suggesting she is accessing a genuine emotional “flow state.” Musically, the EP stands on a bedrock of syncopated log drums and 808s, creating a sturdy foundation draped in soft strings and airy harmonies. Tems’ ethereal falsetto effortlessly floats above these elements, drawing from a rich blend of African, American, and Caribbean sonic textures, accented by the sound of shekere rattles.
In contrast to the expansive, biographical narratives of her full-length debut, Born in the Wild, Love Is a Kingdom is meticulously pared down. Tems eliminates external clutter to offer a bare, diaristic account of romantic whiplash. Her perspective on love is drawn as a kind of scripture: patient, kind, and hopeful, even when it demands surrender and incurs pain. Though brief—only 20 minutes—the EP’s emotional trajectory feels ritualistic. Moods shift slowly, lingering on moments of frustration before yielding to absolute surrender. The artist moves from condemning an unambitious partner to embracing a love so sacrificial she repeats her commitment like an unshakeable prayer.
The self-preservation psalm “First” opens the project, underscoring Tems’ fierce autonomy: “They keep trying to control me,” she sings, “So I have to change the story.” This control is reflected in her credits, having produced, composed, and written the majority of the project alongside longtime collaborator GuiltyBeatz. While the sound stays close to her established prog-R&B and Afrobeats palette, there are subtle stylistic expansions, including the Spanish-tinged production on “I’m Not Sure” and the shift to the churchy warmth of “Lagos Love” and the Amapiano-Afrotech bounce of “Big Daddy.”
The emotional arc reaches its most fragile point following the devotional high of “Mine.” The track “What You Need” acts as the brutal turning point, snapping the record into its unhappy conclusion. The breakup feels acutely intimate, as if the listener is inadvertently overhearing her confession: “I’m not what you need,” she repeats, with a voice that cracks under the weight of guilt, leading to the devastating “You not mine.” This romantic suffering transitions into the final, spiritual reckoning of “Is There a Reason.” In this closer, which echoes the spiritual searching of “Me & U,” Tems directly addresses God, interrogating the true value of sacrifice and the necessity of suffering.
This spiritual dimension is no longer a subtle thread; it becomes the defining framework of the EP, transforming the project from a simple love story into a profound meditation on faith and endurance. While Tems’ lyricism is deeply poetic, relying on celestial metaphors and mythic language, it occasionally feels too abstract, masking the very emotions it seeks to convey. While beautiful, a little more grounding detail would make her kingdom feel less ethereally distant. Nonetheless, Love Is a Kingdom is a short, essential listen, confirming Tems as an artist who uses her voice as both a source of comfort and a force challenging the very parameters of eternal love.
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