Three years after the release of breakout album w h o k i l l, tUnE-yArDs are gearing up to release a third full-length album, Nikki Nak on May 5. Following the release of the frantic jump rope rhyme/new track "Water Fountain," tUnE-yArDs dropped another Nikki Nack song entitled "Wait for a Minute" on Tuesday.
The four-minute track illuminates bandleader Merrill Garbus and the rest of her crew in a new light that's altogether more subdued and straightforward than any previous releases. Produced by Malay, a co-writer and pivotal influence on Frank Ocean's alt-R&B classic Channel Orange, "Wait for a Minute" detours from the expected tUnE-yArDs approach with a lighthearted tinge of R&B vibes. The group's off-kilter complexity bubbles up in a few moments, but on the whole, "Wait for a Minute" is slyly simple and well-executed pop song.
Garbus' usual unhinged vocal approach takes a backseat to a pleasant, impressive falsetto that plays safely within the song's landscape of airy synths and mid-tempo bass grooves. Shifting in and out of a disjointed and hauntingly simple chorus, Garbus sings it just coy enough to drive home the old adage "less is more," even being leader of one of the most proudly eccentric bands to emerge to the indie forefront today.
Listen to "Wait for a Minute" and zone out to the confetti-filled not-quite-a-video below.
