Song of the Week: Tierra Whack’s “MS BEHAVE” Is a Stone Cold Banger
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The post Song of the Week: Tierra Whack’s “MS BEHAVE” Is a Stone Cold Banger appeared first on Consequence.
Every week, Consequence highlights the latest and greatest new tracks with our Song of the Week column. Find these new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for other great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Tierra Whack misbehaves on “MS BEHAVE.”
For the first time in six years, Tierra Whack has a brand new full-length project. WORLD WIDE WHACK, the follow-up to 2018’s acclaimed Whack World, picks up where the eclectic artist left off, offering another helping of artsy, playful goodness. This time around, however, there’s a darkness at the center of Whack’s world. Throughout the 37-minute runtime, she explores the deepest corners of her emotions, from her struggles with depression to, as showcased on the banger “MS BEHAVE,” her braggadocios, near-manic confidence.
On “MS BEHAVE,” Whack doesn’t hold back, dropping bars over top of a tom-heavy beat with enough stank to make your face instinctively curl up. She’s tracking songs on the first take, wearing multi-thousand-dollar jewelry, and traveling to places you’ve never been. Not only is she misbehaving, she couldn’t behave if she fuckin’ tried. Upon first glance, it’s the ultimate hype-up song: “Your career going good? It’s because I let it/ I’m the greatest rapper ever, yeah, yeah, I said it.”
And yet, within the greater context of WORLD WIDE WHACK, there seem to be far more nuanced emotions baked into the track than simply, “I’m the shit.” With later tracks diving into feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and even stints of suicidal ideation, lines in “MS BEHAVE” that originally came across as ruthless start to read more like a defense mechanism.
“Watch who you call your foes/ watch who you call your friends,” Whack repeats. While, at first, the sentiment seems cutthroat and fearless, as WORLD WIDE WHACK goes on, the line accumulates more and more weight. “IMAGINARY FRIENDS” tackles the idea most directly, while closing duo “TWO NIGHTS” and “27 CLUB” bring it back into focus as the album comes to an end. Upon hitting replay, the narrator of “MS BEHAVE” suddenly doesn’t seem so bulletproof.
“MS BEHAVE” is a peacock of a track, talking a big game while hiding real feelings of hurt and loneliness. It certainly still works as a pre-game banger — the song simply goes too hard not to — but Whack imbues it with additional depth, further developing her own little Whack-y world.
— Jonah Krueger
Editorial Coordinator
Honorable Mentions:
Baby Rose — “One Last Dance”
Baby Rose’s transportive voice feels like it fell out of another decade. The latest from the Atlanta-based vocalist is a dreamy, wistful offering, backed by a lilting flute and effortless production from Canadian instrumental team BADBADNOTGOOD. There’s a touch of Billie Holiday to Rose’s vocal rasp and idiosyncrasies, so perfectly suited to deliver timeless sentiments like, “I know you’ll be all right if you never see me again/ But for old times, just give me one more dance.” — Mary Siroky
Drowse and Lula Asplund — “Hey Chicago”
It’s hard to overstate Low’s influence when it comes to slowcore and underground indie rock. With the unfortunate passing of Mimi Parker in 2022, that influence came all the more into focus. To celebrate Low and Parker, the good people of The Flenser have organized a cover compilation that features the likes of Planning for Burial, Have a Nice Life, Midwife, and more. Drowse and Lula Asplund’s take on the Songs for a Dead Pilot cut “Hey Chicago” arrives ahead of the comp’s release and flips Low’s understated beauty into an eerie, intense slow-burn. While there’s quite a bit more volume, there’s also just as much space, resulting in a respectful, loving, and unique tribute to the indie legends. — J. Krueger
FARR — “In Need of A Friend”
There’s an effortless groove to the new release from alt-R&B duo FARR, which feels characteristic of this project out of Los Angeles. “In Need of a Friend” is the latest taste of FARR’s upcoming EP, Blink Twice if You’re Okay, set to arrive to May 10th. There’s nothing terribly showy about “In Need of A Friend,” but these two seem clear on the fact that they don’t need any tricks to make their music worth checking out. — M. Siroky
Flamingosis — “Nebula Gazer”
Flamingosis returned this week with the utterly infectious “Nebula Gazer.” Even with the song’s restless elements — a crisp, quick-strumming electric guitar, high-timbre hi-hats and tambourines, and a deeply funky synth line — there’s an ample amount of space and simplicity that makes “Nebula Gazer” feel less like a psychedelic space odyssey and much more like the sun has just come out after a long, freezing winter. Come for the guitar groove, stay for the euphoric keyboard solo that dominates the song’s concluding third. — Paolo Ragusa
Horse Jumper of Love — “Gates of Heaven”
Featuring a riff that sounds like a sonic recreation of star-gazing, Horse Jumper of Love returns with another well-polished, gloomy track. Even the drums reinforce the sadness of the song, emphasizing the guitar in a way that allows for the tragedy of each strum to really breathe. The song’s lyrics are depressing as well, depicting failure and mundanity (“I am late to work again”), as well as the inability to succeed at even small tasks (“the Gates of Heaven/ are always closing up on me”). The song is about defeat, and if that sense wasn’t instilled in a listener by the somber music, then the oppressive lyrics are sure to drive it home. — Venus Rittenberg
Joy Oladokun — “I Wished on the Moon”
The slate of artists on the soundtrack for Apple TV’s The New Look is impressive; it’s also produced by — who else? — Jack Antonoff. This cover of “I Wished on the Moon” comes from Nashville-based artist Joy Oladokun, who offers a fresh, minimalistic take on the song recorded over the years by heavy-hitters like Ella Fitzgerald. So much of Oladokun’s charm comes from the homespun nature of their musical style, and this cover does a lovely job of balancing nostalgic flourishes with present-day simplicity. — M. Siroky
Lava La Rue — “Push N Shuv”
British multi-hyphenate Lava La Rue is back with “Push N Shuv,” the first offering from their upcoming debut album STARFACE. Sonically referencing Prince, Tom Tom Club, and the sticky rhythms of synth-coded ’80s funk, “Push N Shuv” is as groovy and classic as Lava gets. For the London artist, it’s nostalgic in more ways than one — they apparently wrote and recorded “Push N Shuv” back in 2019, keeping their original vocals on the track five years later. Finally, Lava La Rue’s journey is culminating with a debut album, and “Push N Shuv” is a deeply refreshing jam from someone destined to become a household name. — P. Ragusa
Lynks — “TENNIS SONG”
Now is absolutely the time to fall into the wild and wonderfully weird world of London-based artist Lynks. Self-described as a “merchant of pure gay chaos,” Lynks has a penchant for glitchy, techno-adjacent pop music, and “TENNIS SONG” is the latest single off ABOMINATION, set for release on April 12th. Let “TENNIS SONG” usher you right into the throbbing beat of “CPR” or trippy allure of “USE IT OR LOSE IT;” it’s all worth it. — M. Siroky
Stuck — “Deep Tunnel”
From its first moments, “Deep Tunnel” by Chicago post-punk band Stuck blazes with an instrumental that sounds like a heavier, more aggressive Parquet Courts. The song is jittery and anxious, a vibe that’s supplemented with a certain sense of anger. The vocals of the song are delivered through an intense, near-yell, and serve to develop an atmosphere of rage. All the while, the tune carries a delicate sense of intelligence thanks to the insightful lyricism. — V. Rittenberg
Yeule — “Anthems For a Seventeen Year-Old Girl”
Yeule is no stranger to covers, and in the past, they released an entire album’s worth of them. However, this cover of Broken Social Scene’s classic stands out amongst their best yet. Shifting the song’s original atmosphere, Yeule’s take adds sweetness. Emphasized by the artist’s glitch-pop stylings, the shift leans into the nostalgia baked into the tune. This is further cemented by the slight changes in the vocal melody Yeule brings to the track, as well as the constant sonic hum and occasional feedback. — V. Rittenberg
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Song of the Week: Tierra Whack’s “MS BEHAVE” Is a Stone Cold Banger
Jonah Krueger
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