Backxwash seems to be on the precipice of something. In February, the intrepid Montreal artist collaborated with La+ch and SVDP on "BLVCK," and now she's back with a new single of her own — the nearly eight-minute epic "WAKE UP."
It follows the rapper-producer's last record, HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING — one of Exclaim!'s Best Albums of 2022 — which was the final instalment in the trilogy with I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses and her Polaris Prize-winning God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It.
If "WAKE UP" is any indication, Backxwash's teeth — and pen — are sharper than ever. Evolving from metal with saturated, psychedelic textures to gospel-influenced rap, the track explores different modalities of expressing heaviness. It feels like a call to arms as she promises, "Through the blackened skies, I will not go gentle / I will not go gentle."
Listen to "WAKE UP" below.
