M.I.A. has one more treat for us before all the year-end lists are finished up. She just released Matangi bonus track “Trouble Again” exclusively through Spotify and, damn, we wish this were a proper track on the album. It’s less melodic and darker than much of the LP (maybe that’s why it was left off), but this being M.I.A., it’s never alienating, and in fact makes some pretty murky, hyperactive sounds seem pretty inviting.
The song is built on a dancehall stomp, though it goes through about five different beats over the course of its 4:43 runtime (one minute it sounds like Major Lazer, the next it sounds like a jungle track from a 1996 rave). M.I.A. does her inimitable sing-rapping for a couple verses, and yelps “Cuz I got a reputation” in between loops of Yeezus-style doom-hall chants.
It’s over-stuffed and hollow at the same time, and is as good a reason as any to open up a Spotify account if you haven’t yet. Hear it below.
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