Oneohtrix Point Never & Rosalía – “Nothing’s Special”

Robert Beatty

Oneohtrix Point Never & Rosalía – “Nothing’s Special”

Robert Beatty

Way back in the waning days of 2018, the artful ascendant Spanish pop star Rosalía posted photos of herself in a recording studio with the visionary producer and composer Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never. Both of them were generational talents who had released masterful new albums that year, so this was quite the intriguing tease. A lot has happened for both artists since then. Rosalía rocketed to global superstardom and began palling around with the likes of Kylie Jenner while continuing to work with innovators ranging from Arca to Bad Bunny. Lopatin continued to make headway in Hollywood with scores for movies including Uncut Gems, released his stellar Magic Oneohtrix Point Never album, and developed a close working relationship with the Weeknd that took him all the way to the Super Bowl halftime show.

Now, two and a half years later, the song the two of them were working on has finally been released. It’s an alternate version of “Nothing’s Special,” first released as the closing track from Magic Oneohtrix Point Never. Lopatin’s computerized vocals have been replaced by Rosalía singing the same words in her native tongue. It remains a mesmerizing ballad about the numbness that follows the loss of a meaningful relationship, matching depressive keyboard swells and jolts of ambient noise with lyrics about being unmoved and unbothered by the powerful forces in this world. Now it’s just got some of that El Mal Querer-style futuristic flamenco drama going for it too.

Below, watch the “Nothing’s Special” lyric video, animated by Robert Beatty, and hear the original album track.

“Nothing’s Special” is out now on Warp.

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