Earlier this year, Little Dragon released their most recent album New Me, Same Us, while Moses Sumney brought us the titanic græ. Now the two artists, and mutual fans of each other, have teamed up for a lovely little treat. First, some nice words from each about each other:
Little Dragon say: “When we reached out to Moses we didn’t know what to expect. What we received was very stripped down, with his beautiful voice. We jammed along and sent it back. It bounced back from his end with added horns and sounded beautiful to our ears. We are very proud of this.”
Moses says: “I’ve been listening to Little Dragon for a very long time; as a teen, their first album impressed upon me just how infinite modern soul music can be. When they asked me to collaborate I was so honored and surprised (“shook,” as the kids say), that it took me a while to come around. They worked with me, egoless, to craft a new vision for their song. I’m proud of what we came up with.”
Not only does that mutual admiration come resonating out of “The Other Lover”, but their two styles mesh even better than we imagined they might – perhaps a by-product of being fans of each other. While the lyrics and basic melodies of “The Other Lover” are taken from Little Dragon’s “Another Lover”, this new version sees the song translated into chunky, sultry synths – and Moses’ voice is magical enough to change anything into a wholly new experience. As Moses’ angelic utterings intertwine with Yukimi Nagano’s voice, an image of a duplicitous character is drawn – but this is one suave mofo, as made clear by the stylish production and the way the two singers sound so at home amidst the plush arrangement. When they come to harmonise together in the chorus of “The Other Lover”, it’s practically perfect in every way, and it then goes on to reach even higher levels of irresistability as it reaches the heavenly climax.
Listen to “The Other Lover” on streaming platforms or below.
“The Other Lover” is out today on Ninja Tune.
