Mustard – “Pure Water” (Feat. Migos)
Mustard, the producer formerly known as DJ Mustard, has a new single out today called “Pure Water.” In effect, it’s a new Migos single, and this is not one of those fake Migos features that only includes one or two members of the group. Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff are all on the track, which, despite the Migos fatigue we as a nation have experienced lately, is weirdly refreshing after so many months of solo tracks from these guys. (Offset’s solo album hasn’t even dropped yet, but it sure feels like it has.)
“Pure Water” is a pretty interesting song, too. Mustard’s beat maintains some of the crisp, snapping West Coast minimalism that made him the producer of the moment half a decade ago, but the squealing high-pitched melody that loops in the background of the track makes it resemble prime crunk-era Lil Jon. It’s nothing like the slow-creeping trap beats that have typified Migos in the Culture era. Instead, it sounds like they’ve flashed back to a different moment in Atlanta rap history. The effect is not unlike what they accomplished with “Stir Fry” by hopping on a decade-old Pharrell production. It’s pleasing to hear them get out of their comfort zone but even more pleasing to hear them return to their best, most familiar context: together.
Hear “Pure Water” below.