Loraine James Shares 'Let's Go' From Upcoming Album 'Reflection'

Loraine James releases new single "Let's Go," the latest from her upcoming album Reflection, out June 4th on Hyperdub. Yesterday, the single debuted as an Adult Swim premiere. "Simple Stuff" arrived as the first single from the new album, which follows last Fall's Nothing EP.

Heralded by spiked, explosive synthesizers, "Let's Go" is like agitated, barely-contained excitement. The melodic opening gives way to hollow, footwork-type beats that rush at the listener, enveloping them in a club setting everyone's aching to return to. The same synths from the opening chords punctuated Loraine's skittering rhythm, flashes of ecstasy from the depths of the dancefloor.

Reflection conveys a turbulent expression of inner-space, laid out in unflinching honesty, that offers gentle empathy and bitter-sweet hope, pared down and confident, leaning further into pop music her own way and taking the listener through how a tumultuous year felt for a young, black queer woman and her acolytes in a world that has suddenly stopped moving. It offers a testament to her roots, including longtime collaborators like Le3 bLack, while positioning her style on a route aimed straight towards the future.

Loraine James sees the grand possibilities in our horizons. Growing up in Enfield, London, the young producer honed her craft while gazing thoughtfully at the skyline out her window, enthralled by the view and observant of how it shifted. There, Loraine refined her sound, a mix of jazz, electronica, UK drill and grime, a mix she attributes to her mother's taste and her hometown's multiculturalism. It's the sound of queer anxiety, righteous fury, and wonder channeled reassembled through her intuitive skills and intimate, almost diaristic approach to music making. Both the Quietus and DJ Mag chose her second LP, For You and I (2019), as the #1 album of the year. A busy live schedule headlining and supporting acts such as Telefon Tel Aviv, Jessy Lanza and Holly Herndon followed, as well as demand as a remixer, before Covid ground everything to a halt.

Loraine took advantage of the lockdown to work on her next EP Nothing for Hyperdub in 2020 as well as self-releasing EPs on Bandcamp and using a steady flow of remixes, from Jessy Lanza to Gordi and others to sharpen her skills. She also started a monthly show on NTS radio and performed at Adult Swim's annual music festival. To top the year off, Loraine completed and delivered her third album Reflection for Hyperdub, made in the summer of 2020. Her first show of 2021 was Fascinated By, a collaboration with the performance artist Isabel Lewis commissioned by the influential CTM Festival, Berlin.

Listen to "Let's Go" here:

Photo Credit: Suleika Müller

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