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Jul 23, 2020 By Samantha Small Bartees Strange

Bartees Strange first came (onto) our radar after covering a string of The National tracks—for the nth time. This morning, he announced a not-yet-specified forthcoming debut album. And with it comes a video for the new song “Mustang,” a powerful, dynamic, dancing in the dark type track. Watch it below. Details of the album are scant (no tracklist, release date, or cover art), only that it will be out this fall via Memory Music.

The video was shot entirely by Bartees Strange (real name Bartees Cox Jr.) in his Washington, DC apartment with the digital direction of Drew Horen of Good Company. The video begins with a fuzzy shot, presumably, of his home. A looping melody and synth fizz underneath Strange’s musings: “Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone had problems?” But then, a TV turns on, the words “MUSTANG” flash on the screen, and the song kicks into overdrive.

Mustang is the white, conservative, rural Oklahoma city that Strange grew up in. As one of the only black families in the area, Strange did what he needed to survive.

“I didn’t let myself be seen,” he says in a press release. “I held myself down so I could make people feel more comfortable around me.”

But “Mustang” is a song of freedom—while also a list of grievances. Guitars roar, drums propel you forward, synths tighten the edges and Strange’s foracity is unprecedented: “Just tie me up. I’d rather die than not be myself again.”

While “Mustang” is an outstanding first single, the forthcoming LP will be a sprinkle of all different flavors and sounds. The video teases another track “Stone Meadows” to be released to Strange’s new label Memory Music. The label imprint run by Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Will Yip.

“I knew the moment I heard Bartees that he was a fucking star,” Yip says in a press release. “The dynamics in his sound instantly touched my soul. The traces of hi- hop all the way to hardcore in his influences shine through and blend perfectly. You can’t pigeonhole Bartees into a specific sound or genre. He’s above that. His sound is truly unique to his own, truly fresh and immediately inspiring to anyone that listens. I’m truly grateful for fearlessly creative artists like Bartees. He’s going to undoubtedly touch every person that listens to his songs.”

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