Santigold is getting ready to drop her fourth album, on September 9, which will be called Spirituals. While this one is not totally dancehall-inspired, some aspects of the genre are still expected to be prominently featured.
She made the announcement following the release of a new track, “Nothing,” which she described as an anthem for moving forward following the last few rough years that people around the world have experienced including the pandemic.
She also said that the new track is her personal battle song about taking life’s hits and getting back up.
This track comes on the heels of “High Priestess”, which came out last month. Both tracks are expected to be included on the upcoming album which will drop on September 9 via her own label Little Jerk Records.
She has also stated that the album will focus on the experiences of surviving and rising above the modern world and that it was recorded during the lockdown. Some of the notable features on the album include Dre Skull, Rostam and Boys Noize to name a few.
She also shared some of the inspiration behind the album through a press release.
“California was on fire, we were hiding from a plague, the social justice protests were unfolding. I’d never written lyrics faster in my life. After having total writer’s block, they started pouring out,” she revealed.
The “I’m a Lady” singer also said that she decided to create a future that looks toward where the world is heading and that she wants to create beauty and pull towards that beauty. Something that is needed not just for herself but also for whoever else needs it.
This will be her first album since 2018’s I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions. That LP was dancehall inspired. That one was recorded in sessions that lasted over two weeks with Dre Skull. They crafted new songs from unfinished ones they had found, including ones Santigold had previously worked on with producers, Diplo and Ricky Blaze.
It went on to peak at No.1 on Billboard’s US Reggae Albums.
The “Lights Out” singer also shared that she loved the idea of calling it Spirituals because it touched on the idea of Negro spirituals, which she added were songs that served the purpose of getting Black people through very tough times.
This can be clearly seen in some of the lyrics for “Ain’t Ready” as she sings, “It come in hard / Kick in one side of your heart / What a blow, no it won’t stop / So I take my time now getting back up / Taking the reins.”
In the press release, she also said that in the absence of physical freedom, spirituals have traditionally been music “whose sound and physical performance allow its participants to feel transcendental freedom in the moment. That’s what this record did for me.”
It seems that she really wanted to express her trials during the pandemic for this one as she also added in the release that all of a sudden she found herself with three small children out of school, including two-year-old twins and a six-year-old and she had to do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry.
Check out the tracklist for the 10-track album below:
- “My Horror”
- “Nothing”
- “High Priestess”
- “Ushers Of The New World”
- “Witness”
- “Shake”
- “The Lasty”
- “No Paradise”
- “Ain’t Ready”
- “Fall First”
Listen Santigold new single “Nothing” below.
