It was just two weeks ago that KOTA The Friend blessed us with his cathartic tape FOTO. The album proved to be an intimate form of self-expression, with sparse production often accompanying the laid-back lyrical stylings of the Brooklyn-based emcee. "BAGELS" is the latest track from the breakthrough album to receive visual treatment—and in typical KOTA fashion, it has the rapper baring his feelings over reminiscent sepia-filtered visuals.
The song is as simple and nurturing as the name suggests. By plainly displaying the lyrics below the video's slow-paced visuals, the listeners get to see how KOTA plays with the words "bagels" and "bae goals" to give the lyrics a little more substance and depth. The song details how meeting up for some coffee and bagels can lead to two people becoming bae goals. It also paints a bleak picture of past relationships and the effects they can have on a person, even years later. This is all done over a soundscape that is produced by just some unadorned piano keys and dusty strings.
It's clear with all of KOTA's latest showings that he takes pride in the cohesive image of self he has cultivated with everything he's produced related to FOTO. Every detail is under scrutiny when it comes to his work. And listeners/observers can see that in everything he does.
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