The smoothest song you’ll hear this year.
Every St. Vincent album and era promises something completely different from what came before. On Masseduction, she took kinetic art pop to its angular, sometimes abrasive, heights. But with her upcoming new album, Daddy’s Home, she’s made a 180, embracing the warm and soulful sounds of the early 1970s. It’s the type of music that makes you want to pour a drink, put your feet up and just chill out. And you can hear that all over “The Melting of the Sun,” replete with breezy pianos, soaring backing vocals and expressive guitar work that flits like rays of light through a haze.
But it’s not a St. Vincent song without a bit of sour in the sweetness. “The Melting of the Sun” is a love letter to the female artists who fought in a hostile, disbelieving environment to achieve success while sticking to their principles, no matter who uncomfortable or challenging it may have been. Joni Mitchell, Marilyn Monroe, Tori Amos and Nina Simone are among those who get shout-outs, staring down the harsh, punishing spotlight put on them.
“The Melting of the Sun” appears on Daddy’s Home, out on May 14 via Loma Vista.