The Internet – “Roll (Burbank Funk)” Video (Feat. Mac DeMarco, Tyler, The Creator, Dev Hynes, & More)
It’s been three years since the Internet’s last album, Ego Death, and in that interim the band’s various members have done a lot to raise the project’s profile. In particular, with her debut solo album Fin, Syd reaffirmed her immense star power and flexed her R&B bona fides, while guitarist Steve Lacy’s widespread collaborations and debut EP Steve Lacy’s Demo framed him as an exciting and unpredictable creative force. Matt Martians and Christopher Smith had solo releases last year too, and bassist Patrick Paige is readying his own project for release this spring. All the while the whole gang has been working on the fourth Internet LP, which appears to be ready to go.
The Odd Future affiliates are back today with a new song and video called “Roll (Burbank Funk).” The song is exactly what the title advertises — which is to say it fully succeeds in bringing the funk. With a crisply frenetic backbeat, an obscenely catchy bass boogie, and keyboard work that wafts like colorful smoke, the band builds a contagious party vibe topped off by a kaleidoscopic array of vocals led by Syd and Lacy. The Earth, Wind, & Fire vibes are strong with this one.
It’s a highly enjoyable song, and the enjoyment factor rises by several degrees thanks to its music video. At the end there’s a parade of guest appearances including Mac DeMarco, Dev Hynes, and Tyler, The Creator, but they’re not the real draw here. Kendrick Lamar collaborator Joe Weil mostly just filmed the band having fun and looking cool, which, combined with a few retro visual effects, is more than enough to hold my attention. Devote some of yours to “Roll (Burbank Funk)” below.
No word on that new Internet album yet, but this is clearly its lead single. If the rest of it is this good… hoo boy.