On her new single with actor/rapper Lakeith Stanfield, ALA.NI is fed up with a love interest who won’t get their shit together – and she’s ready to move on for greener pastures instead of continuing to waste her time.
“Got no patience with this masquerade / I’m not falling till you catch my wave / and there’s beauty only steps away / all these silly games you want to play,” ALA.NI laments, before Lakeith Stanfield (known for his roles in Get Out and Atlanta) delivers a frustrated, fearful verse about losing something special.
But part of what makes “VanP” special is the instrumental. ALA.NI initially planned for upcoming record ACCA to be an acapella album, so much of the album is made up of human voices. ALA.NI’s arrangement is rooted in a moody beatbox by Dave Crowe and supplemented with a bass guitar by Phil Simmonds, lending to a sparse, spacious soundbed that leaves space for ALA.NI’s breathy vocals to shine.
“The session took place in LA on a hot summer’s day at Stone Throw’s studio,” ALA.NI told VIBE, referring to the iconic indie label that’s been home to acts like Madlib, J Dilla and more. “Super cool. With posters all over the walls of MF DOOM and of course J Dilla…legend!!! So the pressure was on to stand in the home of these hip hop gods.”
ACCA is ALA.NI’s sophomore album, the follow-up to the Paris-based artist’s 2017 debut You & I, and scheduled for a January 24, 2020 release date.