Normani x Calvin Harris

According to Normani, Harris reached out to her for the collaboration; she said: "he was like 'yo, what do you think of this?' I was like, 'this sh*t is fire!' I am a huge fan of his."^[4] The pair recorded and finished the songs in June 2018.

News of the collaboration was revealed in June 2018.^[5] Normani teased the project at the 2018 American Music Awards, saying a song was to be released "in the next few days".^[6] Normani also posted a short clip online of herself writing "Oct. 22" on a piece of red tape before a voice off-camera tells her to "drop the pen".^[7]

The EP features two songs, "Slow Down" and "Checklist" (featuring Nigerian singer Wizkid). The former has a groovy, house-styled production in which Normani pleads with a lover to return her feelings.^[8][9] Wandera Hussein of The Fader praised Normani's vocal performance by saying the singer sings "heavenly" on the song's hook.^[8] "Checklist" features a danceable beat with heavy influences of Afrobeats and dancehall music.^[10] On it, Normani delivers some rapid, half-rapped flirty lines.^[9]

Complex noted that the two tracks feature a production style similar to Harris's 2017 album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, "although featuring a more reggae-inspired edge".^[2] Rolling Stone called the songs "clubby R&B with tropical tinges", saying Normani hits a "bouncy pop stride" on "Checklist", and noting "Slow Down" "does exactly the opposite of what the title teases: it's a slow jam that builds up to a house-y dancefloor burner for the verses".^[11]

Both songs were produced by Calvin Harris