LOYLE CARNER ‘DARES TO DREAM’ IN HIS NEW SINGLE: ‘OTTOLENGHI’
Below is a short piece written for Nation Of Billions, breaking news of a video to accompany a new track.
Everyone knows today’s musical landscape demands either a quality team, or a polymath’s gifts to succeed. In fact, even the most casual listener knows your art has to match your track’s magic else you’re liable to get ‘lost in the mix’. It’s simply the state of play: all of the standout acts pack a punch, and if you’ve any hopes at all of making a splash, you’ve got to distinguish yourself somehow.
Enter Loyle Carner’s New Oscar Hudson directed video for ‘Ottolenghi’. It’s safe to say the Lambeth resident has outdone himself with this one, as honestly, it’s everything an absurdist wants in a music video. The visual’s stunning surreality does a brilliant job of underscoring the single’s cool, tear-jerking serenity, taking listeners on a ride through a dreamscape complete with a wistful Loyle, a contemplative Jordan Rakei, and a sparsely filled train wherein the entire cast has been plucked from Carner’s waking world.
Meanwhile the single itself stands alone well, as Carner quietly ruminates on his prospective child’s fate, makes a quick nod to Roots Manuva’s ‘Dreamy Days’ – a likely inspiration for the video – all whilst recounting the an uneventful afternoon on a commercial train to nowhere in particular. Every bar bobs gracefully along Rakei’s woozy, streamline production.
Ultimately both the song and video do a wonderful job of communicating all the elements of an actual dream from what little resources can be found in the south London rapper’s home video; the two pieces complement one another perfectly. And with both a ‘Best Male’ BRIT & Mercury Prize nomination tucked firmly under his belt for his well acclaimed ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ it’s no wonder he’s gone on doing what works so well for him: plucking at heartstrings and positively bleeding sincerity all for your listening delight.
So what’re your waiting for? Take it in. Give in to the magic below:
