Song of the Week: Janelle Monáe Designs a Sensual Utopia on “Lipstick Lover”

Paolo Ragusa

May 12, 2023 at 3:49 PM·5 min read

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The post Song of the Week: Janelle Monáe Designs a Sensual Utopia on “Lipstick Lover” appeared first on Consequence.

Song of the Week delves into the fresh songs we just can’t get out of our heads. Find these tracks and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Janelle Monáe gets sensual with the reggae-tinged “Lipstick Lover.”

Janelle Monáe has been waiting for this moment. In the five years since the singer, songwriter, and actress released her highly conceptual third album Dirty Computer, she’s starred in TV shows and high-profile films, performed at the Academy Awards, and published her own book. Now, she’s stepping back up to the microphone for her upcoming fourth album, The Age of Pleasure, set for release on June 9th.

The second single off The Age of Pleasure is “Lipstick Lover,” and it’s a bubbling, sensual turn from Monáe. The laid-back reggae groove suits her silky voice and creates a slow-motion feel that entrances and seduces. As always, Monáe demonstrates her vocal prowess whenever necessary, zipping through expressive pre-chorus runs and letting her aching alto stretch out like taffy. “Lipstick Lover” feels designed for a summer evening spent in a jacuzzi; smoke and steam rise to form dazzling shapes, the person you feel most connected to inching closer and closer.

Much of this is also due to “Lipstick Lover”‘s pleasure-filled, NSFW music video. Throughout, Monáe sings directly to a woman’s bare butt, poses topless with a cigar in hand, is showered with a barrage of vibrators and dildos, and participates in bacchanalian activities. There are luscious fruits, bright flowers, crystal blue pools, and lots of kissing. It all melds perfectly with Monáe’s mission: there is liberation and comfort in the expression of queer desire, a Black utopia that prioritizes safety and euphoria, exploration and release.

It’s a logical continuation from Dirty Computer, which felt both nostalgic and futuristic all in the same breadth. But “Lipstick Lover” is less concerned is much more languid, hazy, and warm, surrendering to the present moment and relishing in immediate pleasure. If “Lipstick Lover” is any indication, she knows exactly how to satisfy her audience — and her lovers — to keep them coming back for more.

— Paolo Ragusa
Associate Editor

Honorable Mentions

Madeline Kenney – “Superficial Conversation”

Oakland-based singer and songwriter Madeline Kenney returns this year with A New Reality Mind, her fourth studio album, and she’s shared “Superficial Conversation” as the LP’s lead single. The song features Kenney’s usual dazzling guitar work, but adds a plethora of emotive synths and bustling drums. The verses oscillate between just two chords, but Kenney fills the space with as much activity as possible, letting the song evolve and melt with each section. Not only that, her shining vocals are better than ever, and it’s a welcome return from this wholly unique songwriter. — P.R.

Water from Your Eyes – “14”

For the latest taste of their upcoming album, Everyone’s Crushed, Water from Your Eyes showcase a different side of themselves. Built on a backdrop of droning and plucked strings, “14” is the most purely beautiful, emotionally potent track the duo has presented yet. With their sheer creativity and willingness to blur genre lines, the New York City team of Rachel Brown and Nate Amos almost come across like the American indie rock analog to Britain’s Jockstrap. With the entirety of Everyone’s Crushed out at the end of this month, we’re excited to see what else they have in store. — Jonah Krueger

Tim Atlas – “Knockin'”

Those who were familiar with Tim Atlas’ dreamy lo-fi pop tracks will certainly be shocked by “Knockin’,” which lives in a completely different universe than his previous cuts. Luckily, Tim Atlas is as adept behind the boards as he is a frontman, and his new track — which was inspired by his cross-country move to Brooklyn — is a pulsating, guitar-forward left turn. It’s a pleasure to hear Atlas embrace a more brash, confident persona, moving deeper into unknown territory and emerging with vitality and intrigue. — P.R.

Jorja Smith – “Little Things”

After making her comeback with “Try Me” last month, Jorja Smith has returned with “Little Things,” a soulful and upbeat party jam. Produced by P2J and New Machine, Smith directs her attention to keeping things fun and flirty over a UK garage instrumental. This high-energy bop is definitely a contender for song of the summer. — Sun Noor

Sarah Kinsley – “Lovegod”

“Lovegod” by Sarah Kinsley is sweet as spring, a bedroom-pop track with notes of disco, Japanese city pop, and Kate Bush that blooms across lush production and ethereal vocals. A song as grandiose as the love it yearns for, it is only made more impressive by the fact Kinsley produced it entirely on her own. From the violin, to the synths, to the lyrics, “Lovegod” is a world brought to life by a god of Kinsley’s own making.— Maura Fallon

Far Caspian – “Own”

Far Caspian have continuously outdone themselves with each subsequent single from their upcoming LP, The Last Remaining Light. “Own,” the most recent, sees the act at their most Duster-esque, fusing downtrodden, melodic slowcore into their usual brand of indie rock. The result is one of their most compelling tracks yet, one that plays with dissonance, structure, and heartbreaking harmonies. This one’s for anyone gearing up for a sad indie summer.— J.K.