It’s been over 4 years since the release of Solange‘s brilliant (and sorely overlooked) sophomore record Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, which brought us cuts like “I Decided,” “Sandcastle Disco” and, my personal favorite of the bunch, “T.O.N.Y.”
Now, the coolest member of the Knowles troupe (and the one most likely to get into an altercation involving a massive yellow inflatable banana at a club) is back in a very, very major way: “Losing You.”
Produced by the ever-amazing Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), the melancholy number floats atop hazy ’80’s-esque synthesizers, bouncy drum patterns and bubbling electronica, similar to Sky Ferreira‘s own Dev Hynes-penned track, “Everything Is Embarrassing.”
As with Sky’s number, the track is endlessly repeat-friendly–a perfect blend of nostalgic, feel-good beats and soulful crooning that pierces deep: “Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good?” Solange repeatedly pleads on the gorgeous production. It’s truly, truly incredible.
The Melina Matsoukas-directed video for the song, as well, is a complete treat: Shot in South Africa, the clip features Solange and her troupe of friends posing, dancing and strutting with Sapeurs, a stylish, über-refined sub-section of African culture found in the Congo. The etiquette-centric group also shares some similarities with the ballroom/voguing scene here in the States. So basically, if Solange were Madonna, this would be her “Vogue.”
For more on the video’s filming, check out Solange’s in-depth interview with FADER, in which she discusses her discovery of the Sapeurs and her journey to Africa to shoot the video. (Thanks for the SkyMiles, Mama Knowles!)
“I’m not the one that you should be making your enemy…”
“Losing You” was released on October 2. (iTunes)