Clare Gillen
You don't need to hear it from me that times are unimaginably hard, and that they'll almost certainly get worse. But throughout this period of societal upheaval and transformation, we gotta protect that tiny flicker of hope, keep it burning steady at whatever cost. A solid pop hook certainly doesn't hurt the cause. Gratefully, it's an art form that Jim-E Stack has nearly perfected.
His new single featuring Empress Of, “Note To Self,” runs like well-oiled machinery — a testament to the chemistry they've refined across years of collaborating (most recently on Rodriguez's latest LP I'm Your Empress Of). Built on the grounds of Stack's sturdy production, the track asks listeners to put their faith in the inevitable breakdowns. “It’s like this voice in your head, like some Goddess from above, that's giving you self-encouragement,” he wrote in an email. “It's okay to feel down, but embrace it because ultimately that gives way to moving forward and progress… There is hope in the sense that we can change things in the world.”
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"Note To Self" marks Jim-E Stack's first single this year, following a number of prominent writing credits on tracks from HAIM, Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek, Perfume Genius, Bon Iver, Kacy Hill, Diplo and Octavian, and more. Bump it loud, below.
