Seattle-based art-rap collective Shabazz Palaces are back with their signature brand of futuristic hypno-hop with “Forerunner Foray” from their upcoming Lese Majesty LP.
Much lighter than the previously previewed, coma-inducing “#Cake,” “Forerunner Foray” is a glimmering, glitch-loving jam that’s slightly unnerving in its icy synthlines and distant, echo-filled groove. Burbling and blissful, it’s a swirling, head bob-inducing track that’ll have your shoulders swaying uncomfortably through Shabazz Palaces’s imagined astronautical journey.
And Palaceer Lazaro’s flow somehow manages to stay curiously tight throughout the entire four-minute track, despite the fact that the effects are reverb-heavy enough to make you feel a distinct sense of dislocation. Complimented by smoky guest vocals from THEEsatisfaction’s AfroCatx3 and a pulsing, kaleidoscopic “not-the-video” stream from I Want You’s Christian Petersen, it’s a gorgeous yet somewhat perturbing vision of the duo’s fictional retro-future that really glints instead of gleams.
Lese Majesty is out July 29 via Sub Pop. Stream “Forerunner Foray” below.
