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Aug 20, 2020 By Samantha Small Moses Sumney

Anything Moses Sumney touches seems to turn to gold. And his cover of Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next,” is nothing sort of a gilded surprise. Check out the single, exclusively on Amazon Music.

Over a slower, swaggered tempo Sumney delivers a lusty, Auto-Tuned track. He doesn’t shy away from the sort of exuberance exuded in Grande’s original. But in typical Sumney fashion, he drops in his soaring harmonies, flexing his gospel-driven vocals during the billowy bridge. “I just want to thank you,” he adlibs.

Recently Sumney shared a video for the new track “Monumental,” one recorded for a new ad campaign for the fashion designer Thom Browne’s spring 2021 collection. It was Sumney’s modern take on “Olympic Hymn,” a song composed by Spyridon Samaras which includes Greek lyrics by poet Kostis Palamas. Sumney translated the song into English and added some somber strings and piano while he was it. “Monumental” was one of our Songs of the Week.

Sumeny also recently did a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR Music.

Previously Sumney shared græ’s first single, “Virile,” via a self-directed video for the track. “Virile” was one of our Songs of the Week. Sumney then shared another song from the first part, “Polly,” which is the final track of part one. Then he shared a new song from the second part, “Me in 20 Years,” via a lyric video (it was one of our Songs of the Week). Then he shared a new song from the first part, “Cut Me” (which was again one of our Songs of the Week) and debuted another song from part one, “Conveyor,” via a live video session at the Moog Sound Lab in Asheville, North Carolina. Sumney then stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform “Cut Me.” Then Sumney shared a visually striking self-directed video for “Cut Me.” Finally, Sumney shared the album’s final two songs, “Bless Me” and “Before You Go,” in one lyric video. “Bless Me” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then he shared a video for “Me in 20 Years.”

Græ is Sumney’s sophomore album, the follow-up to 2017’s full-length debut, Aromanticism, and 2018’s Black in Deep Red, 2014 EP. Aromanticism was our #1 Debut Album of 2017 and one of our overall Top 100 Albums of 2017. The album is his first since relocating to Asheville, North Carolina.

Read our 2017 interview with Moses Sumney on Aromanticism.

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