The Lead is the debut extended play by English girl group Flo. It was released on 8 July 2022, through Island Records.[1] It was preceded by three singles: "Cardboard Box", "Immature" and "Summertime".
The debut extended play was produced by MNEK, except "Another Guy (Acoustic)". On 14 September 2022, the English trio re-released the extended play which served as a deluxe, with a promotional single: "Not My Job".[2]
Background
"Cardboard Box" was first released on 24 March 2022, by the English trio and acted as the trio's debut single.[3] Later on, this single also acted as the lead single for their extended play. The debut song was produced by English producer MNEK.[4] An accompanying music video was published to YouTube on 1 April 2022, which surpassed 900 thousand views within days.[5] Many established artists, such as SZA and Missy Elliott praised the song on social media.[6] The trio described the song as "getting yourself together after a breakup".[7] On 6 May 2022, an acoustic version of this single was released.[8]
"Immature" acted as their second single which was released on 6 July 2022.[9][10]Pitchfork described the trio's vocals as "an icy edge, while the trio's golden harmonies at the bridge keep things crisp."[11] A music video for this single was released on the same day as the EP.[12] The trio performed both singles live for Vevo DSCVR on 5 August 2022.[13]
The same day where their second was released, the English trio announced their debut extended play.[14] The extended play was released on 8 July 2022, with a total of five tracks.[15] MNEK produced four out of the five songs featured in the EP.[16] In September 2022, the trio re-released the extended play with an additional track, named "Not My Job", which was released as a promotional single.[17]
Critical reception
The EP received widespread acclaim from critics. Complex called it "an essential listen".[18] with Nylon making a similar assessment.[19]Rolling Stone predicted that the EP would vault Flo to stardom.[20]MuuMuse noted that the EP displays the confidence and authority of a long-establish star act, despite being Flo's first full release.[21] The EP also received positive reviews from The Honey Pop,[22]360,[23] and Soul Bounce.[24]