333 is the fifth studio album by American singer Tinashe. It was released independently through her own label Tinashe Music on August 6, 2021. The project features collaborations with Jeremih, Kaytranada, Kaash Paige, ABsolutely, Wax Motif, Buddy, Channel Tres, Christian Blue, and Tinashe's brothers Quiet Child and Kudzai.[1] The album's deluxe edition, featuring four additional tracks, was released on March 3, 2022.[2]
Before releasing 333, Tinashe had experience working both independently and under a major label. After leaving RCA Records in 2019, she resumed independent releases with Songs for You. She stated that working independently allowed her "to refocus" and "reevaluate" her goals within the music industry. During the rollout of 333, Tinashe addressed fan inquiries about the album's physical editions, explaining that their delay was due to production issues. She also mentioned that she had additional songs recorded and indicated that "we'll also get a deluxe", when speaking about the possibility of an expanded release.[3]
Title
The album's title is an allusion to the angel number 333, associated with messages from the divine of protection, love, and destiny.[4] Regarding the title selection, Tinashe commented that "I named it 333 because I really felt like I was on the right path, in alignment with what I was meant to do. I just wanted to acknowledge that."[5]
Composition
According to NME, 333 represents Tinashe's continued effort to break away from the conventional "pop princess" image associated with her former label.[6]
Promotion
Tinashe announced details of 333 along with the release of "I Can See the Future". On July 23, she shared the album's cover art on Instagram, featuring an image of the singer in a natural setting with three eyes depicted on her forehead. In the same post, she stated that a new single would be released that night, later confirming its title in a subsequent post. The album was scheduled for release on August 6.[7]
Singles
"Pasadena", featuring Buddy, was released as the album's lead single on June 4, 2021.[8] Its music video, directed by Micaiah Carter, was premiered on June 10, 2021, on Tinashe's YouTube account.[9] The music video was created as a collaborative effort with photography mobile-app VSCO, and was further promoted by the company through social media creative challenge which encouraged users to create and share contents inspired by the music video, using the hashtag #VSCOPasadena.[10] The second single, "Bouncin'", was released on July 9, 2021, and its music video was subsequently released on July 14, 2021, directed by Lloyd Pursall and choreographed by Parris Goebel.[11][12] The third single of the album, "X", featuring Jeremih, was released on January 21, 2022, alongside a music video of both "X" and "I Can See the Future", directed by Sebastian Sdaigui.[13]
Other songs
"I Can See the Future" was released as a promotional single on July 23, 2021, along with the album's track list announcement.[14] "Naturally" was released as the lead single from the album's deluxe edition on February 14, 2022.[15] The single was promoted with a music video inspired by the horror movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.[16][17] The music video for "HMU for a Good Time", featuring Channel Tres, was surprise released on June 24, directed by Jonah Haber and choreographed by Jojo Gomez.[18]
Tour
To promote the album, Tinashe announced her 333 Tour, with Rei Ami as the supporting act.[19] In less than one week after pre-sale and general tickets were made available, several dates were sold out, prompting new dates to be added. The concert tour will also be available to worldwide audience as a livestream concert event, in partnership with Moment House, which will be the "exclusive digital tour experience" and is promised to be "specially crafted for at-home fans around the world".[20]
333 received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 84 based on five reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[21]
Clash called the album "a sparkling display of personal evolution" and despite not being a radically innovative record, it is coherent with "artful production", and "never having a dull moment". They also praised Tinashe's vocals as "faultless as ever" with "rap-like cadences."[23] Giving four out of five stars, NME said 333 "furthers the 28-year-old's narrative of being whatever she wants to be musically". It said the album also "gives off the same energy as Tinashe's early mixtapes such as Black Water (2013) and In Case We Die (2012), reminding us of the singular artist that [she] is and always has been."[6]Pitchfork named the album her best work to date, stating it as a "showcase for her omnivorous tastes and supremely light touch. Tinashe's voice glides through much of the record as if she's smirking at a private joke. Ultimately, it's that breezy, impish spirit that most distinguishes 333 and its predecessor from her RCA albums."[24]
AllMusic claimed that "333 sees the singer truly settling into independence. There's a near surplus of the breathy slow jams and midtempo cuts that roll and skitter like the tracks on which she built her reputation. Each one of those songs uniquely tweaks the approach to make it sound fresh."[22]Stereogum said Tinashe spends most of the album "sliding across an eclectic landscape of sounds, centered on fluttery impressionistic R&B but just as likely to veer into neon arena anthems (the Stargate-produced 'The Chase'), undulating synth-pop ('Undo (Back To My Heart)' with Wax Motif), breathless dance-adjacent hip-hop (the Buddy collab 'Pasadena'), or darkly spacious slow jams (the Kaash Paige duet 'Angels')". They also praised the cohesiveness of the album in comparison to her previous works.[26]Uproxx interpreted the album's title, 333, as a symbol of reassurance and optimism, suggesting that it inspires confidence amidst uncertainty. The outlet noted that while the pandemic year may appear to be a primary influence, the album's inspiration runs much deeper for Tinashe.[27]
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