MIKE – “Evil Eye”

MIKE – “Evil Eye”

In the past few years, the young New York rapper and producer MIKE has been at the forefront of a whole new wave of introspective, lo-fi rap music. MIKE’s tracks are hypnotic and layered, and he’s worked with artists like Earl Sweatshirt, Black Noi$e, and Wiki. Every year, MIKE releases a new album on the same day, 6/21. He’s getting ready to do it again. This year, on that same date, MIKE will release his follow-up to last year’s Weight Of The World, and he’s just shared its first single.

MIKE’s new album is called Disco!, and it reflects a change in style. Where MIKE’s recent records have been murky and heavy, MIKE has lately been listening to house music, and giving an album a title like Disco! is sending a message. First single “Evil Eye” isn’t exactly a club track, and MIKE still has an offbeat style and a disorienting close-to-the-mic delivery. But “Evil Eye,” built on an ebullient soul loop, sounds brighter than past MIKE records.

Frequent MIKE collaborator Ryosuke Tanzawa directed the “Evil Eye,” video, and it shows MIKE on two screens, one color and one black-and-white. In both clips, he drifts through New York with friends, absentmindedly lip-syncing his lyrics. Check it out below.

Disco! is out 6/21 on MIKE’s own 10K label.

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