A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons is the debut studio album by English rapper Little Simz, released on 18 September 2015 through Age 101 Music. The album won Independent Album of the Year at the 2016 AIM Independent Music Awards.
Release On 12 August 2015, Little Simz announced the album and released the single "Wings". The album's second single, "Dead Body", was released on 17 August 2015, alongside a music video. On 23 September 2015, she released a remix to "Dead Body", titled "Dead Body Part 2+3" featuring Stormzy and Kano.
Critical reception
Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX commended the album for its innovation, stating: "Where most newer Hip Hop artists play it safe until they build enough of an audience, Little Simz pushes the envelope giving her all to a scene that may not know what to make of her. Taking the initiative to claim herself a leader, she makes a powerful statement for womanhood in a genre often closed to anything short of objectification." Pitchfork's Jia Tolentino argues that the album's independent release kept it more authentic, stating: "she's keeping her talent under her own strict control, which means, by one calculus, curbing it. Instead of an album spiked with a big banging single, she offers a looping, obsessively focused experience, with her words providing structure and the pulsing orchestral instrumentation coming second." Writing for The 405, Samantha O'Connor concludes, writing "A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons is the most multifaceted and masterful contemporary feminist rap album of recent memory."
Accolades PublicationAccoladeRankThe 405The 30 Best Albums of 20155ClashAlbums Of The Year 201521The Line of Best FitThe Fifty Best Albums of 2015 Loud And QuietTop 40 Albums Of 201530NoiseyThe 50 Best Albums of 201523Time OutThe 50 best albums of 201538
Awards +Awards and nominations for A Curious Tale of Trials + PersonsCeremonyYearCategoryResultAIM Independent Music Awards 2016 Independent Album of the Year
Track listing
Charts + Chart performance for A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons Chart (2015) Peakposition
References