When Ukweli and Xenia Manasseh released Maybe in November 2022, the Kenyan alternative stars channe led the verve of Nairobi’s underground for a delicate treatise on desire and longing. Three years later, they are back together on MAYBE II, which picks up right where they stopped. Across six songs, Xenia Manasseh pours her heart out over Ukweli’s signature minimalist beats, reflecting on the theatrics of an unstable lover and picking apart narrow interpretations of love. “Let’s be honest/You’re handing empty promises out,” Manasseh ruefully notes on the doleful “Paradise,” before asking to be the exception. Even when MAYBE II leans into subtle hints of heartache, there is an unmissable sense of calm and confidence that courses throughout. “Got a lot of shit on my mind/I don’t wanna let it define me,” Mannasseh sings on “BACK2ME.” Just like on Maybe , Ukweli’s dreamy fusion of loopy drums and warm chords steers the direction here, drawing out Manasseh’s forthright thoughts on finding healing (“Bittersweet”) and experimenting with a bouncy percussive pattern on the incandescent “Rudia.” Much as it faithfully captures the terse reality of modern romances, MAYBE II also maps out the moving-on phase as Mannassh finds the resolve to seek new thrills. “Nowadays, I’m not one to settle,” she cheerily shares on the celebratory “EAST2HWOOD”. After all, the most trustworthy love is a love of self.