FLO’s Therapy at the Club Needs to Cut the Session Short

Daniel Corretjer Rios

Writer

August 16, 2026

FLO are undeniably talented. Listeners were made this clear when they first heard the singles for Therapy at the Club, the follow-up to the well-received All Access Areas. Their chemistry is beautiful, as their harmonies are always layered, and their vocal performances always complement each other. But when they put their production on full display, it's easy to see why they've been positioned at the center of a contemporary girl group resurgence. However, the pros don’t outweigh the cons. No matter how great their synergy is, saving an album with 15 tracks which, midway through, relies entirely on fumes to get through the rest of it is practically impossible.

The opening stretch gives every reason for optimism. Right off the bat, "Side Effects," with its driving bassline, strong vocal performances, and a hook that earns its place, is a clear demonstration of what FLO are capable of. It's the kind of track that immediately reframes expectations. Even for listeners who don't typically gravitate toward club R&B, it's difficult not to get pulled in. "Small Doses" directly follows and keeps the momentum going, pairing a hard-hitting bass with a layered, elaborately constructed chorus and chopped-up background vocals that give the production a modern feel. Although the songs feel similar sonically and even lyrically, they each have just enough personality to stand apart.

"Touché" is arguably the album's best-produced track. The intro strings and woodwinds make way for this deep, grotesque bass drop, and the groove it establishes is one of the most confident moments on the record. Unlike many other songs on this album, it didn’t feel repetitive, especially since the “touché” chorus is only repeated a few times and the vocal performances here feel the most alive. "Leak It" keeps the energy going, continuously building and flowing without ever becoming repetitive, which by this point in the album starts to feel like a meaningful achievement.

But cracks begin to show. "Cry Ugly" is where the album first stumbles, with a chorus that leans too hard on its central hook without earning the repetition. "I Can't Be High Around You" arrives with a promising opening sample before settling into something that feels increasingly familiar. The track isn’t awful, but it gets more and more difficult to distinguish from what came before it. And then the album keeps going. And going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGFv96oFNMg

FLO - Sober

"Sober" is a genuine bright spot in the back half, offering something close to a Daniel Caesar-influenced acoustic approach that briefly breaks the monotony. The club 808s and bass that arrive later in the track feel earned rather than just being blindly placed, and the restraint on display suggests a versatility FLO are capable of, but rarely lean into here. It's the clearest sign of what this album could have been with a tighter tracklist and more willingness to take risks.

Instead, what follows is an extended exercise in diminishing returns. "Therapy at the Club," "Pose," "Call Me," "Sex in Peace." By this point, the songs are not necessarily bad so much as indistinguishable. Each one arrives with the same sonic blueprint, the same energy, which ends up yielding the same result. "Haterbooth" closes with a genuinely strong chorus and some sharp guitar work, but by then, the listeners are too exhausted to actually take this final song seriously.

FLO's core strengths consist of their harmonies, their hooks, and their vocal chemistry. It’s usually flawless. But Therapy at the Club makes the critical mistake of stretching a half-album's worth of ideas across fifteen tracks, and no amount of talent can fix that. What starts as a promising showcase of a group with real ability ends as an endurance test. The tragedy with this album is that the foundation was there. But what they built upon that foundation simply crumbled.

Edited by: Jade Read