Georgia-based talent Christina Schneider AKA Locate S,1 has dropped the follow up single to the titular funk-pop banger that marked the announcement of her album Personalia.

Where “Personalia” regaled tales of Schneider rebuilding her self worth, “Whisper 2000” is a love song to herself. It’s a self-actualised ode to loving exactly who you are, as she says herself in the song “If you cannot behold my miracle, step away from the vehicle”.

With punching guitars reminiscent of the synth riff in Prince’s iconic “1999” and a funk-infused bassline, “Whisper 2000” is a spirited call to the dance floor. There’s a sense of triumph to the track, an air of defiant joy in the face of haters and doubters; it’s impossible not to respond to this kind of stoicism and radiant fun.

At times, the track possesses Kate Bush inflexions in her fearlessness when trying something experimental, as well as in Schneider’s trilling and airy vocals. “Whisper 2000” shifts from one idea to the next without sounding disjointed; it calls to mind “Sat in Your Lap” (by the aforementioned genius) in its restlessness and inability to let go of momentum for even a second.

The video that accompanies the track – directed by Schneider’s producer and collaborator Kevin Barnes (from Of Montreal) – is playful and flies in the face of authority. Featuring images of LGBTQ+ rallies and pride events mashed together with hyper-masculine sporting displays, you can almost hear Locate S,1 smirking wryly in the background. These tongue in cheek visuals, tinged with art-pop style neon colours, are a staple of Locate S,1’s work. With a cartoonish pair of lips vocalising over various out of context scenarios, the video brings the joviality of “Whisper 2000” into a new realm of whimsy.

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Having explored her musical range under several monikers, Christina Schneider announces her upcoming sophomore album as Locate S,1 with the release of the titular track “Personalia”.

The song thrums with life in a way that only quality crafted pop can; it garners an energy all of its own. “Personalia” is embedded with a busy soundscape, created through a funk-infused bassline, punchy pulsating guitars and throbbing drums that are dance-inducing. Whilst the track is undeniably pop in its musical make up, Locate S,1 uses the genre to cheekily misguide the listener.

“Personalia” acts as a reflective look at Schneider’s self-worth as an artist, full of doubts and setbacks. With lyrics such as “Just to play while they’re looking at their phones/Curse another crowd that doesn’t get it/Maybe something’s wrong with me/Maybe I’m just dumb”, Schneider is exploring “where her constantly evolving and always experimental music fits into the digital age”. This is something that she aimed to ruminate on over the upcoming album as an entire entity, one that seeps through into “Personalia” as a track.

The visuals that accompany the track speak to this fear and moments of self-doubt. We see Schneider alone in a dark, open woodland area, the grass cutting an eerie and lonesome space in which she stands out in a loud patterned sweatshirt. As the video progresses, this fear and anxiety give way to frivolity and fun: Schneider rediscovers her self-belief and begins to dance, carefree once again.

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