Surprise! Tricked you. Sort of.
You see, King N’ Queen might be a new duo, and “Girlfriend” might be a new song, but you more than likely already know a lil’ something about all the players involved in this production. (And if you don’t, well…consider this your formal Introduuction all around.)
The King in question is rising rapper Jerry James, who you might remember from his charming ode to our beloved Ultraviolence beauty, “Lana Del Rey.”
N’ the Queen? That’s none other than his GF Mereki, the sweet-voiced singer-songstress I first Introduuced back in January with “Blue Lake.”
The two have teamed up for a new side project, enlisting Raw Deal to take the helm of their debut track, “Girlfriend.” What’s Raw Deal? Why, it’s the production duo formed by Ariel Pink and Justin Raisen — y’know, the man who helped craft the records we hold dearest, including Charli XCX‘s True Romance and Sky Ferreira‘s Night Time, My Time.
But enough with all the name-dropping: How’s the actual song? It’s great, as a matter of fact.
Drifting atop hazy, swirling synths, crashing drums and funky guitar licks, the King and Queen trade off between Jerry’s smooth spitfire verses and Mereki’s airy cooing (“Girlfriend, girlfriend…“) to deliver a deliciously harsh kiss-off: “I’m so over fuckin’ you/You used to be my girlfriend,” the two cooly dismiss. Ouch!
It’s a solid blend of artistry from a rather talented pool — let’s hope this creative cohesion keeps going strong. After all, Mereki, Jerry and Justin co-wrote Kylie Minogue‘s divine Kiss Me Once Record Store Day gem, “Golden Boy.” Heaven!
Been lookin’ for something new? Give this one a go.