New York-based artist james K has spent the past decade quietly building a world entirely her own: mysterious, fluid, and emotionally magnetic. Known for her collaborations with the likes of Yves Tumor and her genre-defying solo work, the enigmatic artist has become a standout voice in experimental and electronic pop, with her previous albums, PET (2016) and Random Girl (2022), that stood out for their eerie beauty and sonic daring.
Her new offering, “Play,” is a dazzling introduction to her forthcoming album, Friend, due out September 5 via AD 93. The single is a shape-shifting dreamscape, as hybrid as you can imagine. “Won’t try to fight for the last time / Won’t fight ’cause they just lie / Right now, I feel that I am found / Right where I know that I feel the ground,” james K sings, her voice delicate and radiant, even as it rises above wailing sirens and skittering percussion. The accompanying video is just as striking as it draws from a surreal, dystopian palette of white, violet, and hot pink, to depict an ethereal and glitchy retro-futurist universe.
Friend, her third full-length album, is the culmination of years spent honing a sound that resists easy categorization. Written and recorded between New York and Montreal, the 13-track project explores “melancholic ecstasy” and includes the previously released singles “Blinkmoth (July Mix)” and “Hypersoft Lovejinx Junkdream.” It also features collaborations with artists like Special Guest DJ, Francis Latrielle, Ben Bondy, and Priori.
You can also stream james K‘s “Play” and the other best new releases of the week in our Forecast Tape playlist on Spotify.
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