Tel Aviv pop auteur Noga Erez has been steadily building steam for years now, and judging from its latest single, her new album KIDS might be the moment she pops off for real. Erez spent 2020 trickling out tracks from the LP — “Views,” “NO News On TV,” “You So Done” — all of them bursting with a zippy, almost cartoonish energy that neatly contrasts her lackadaisical sing-spoken vocals. I hear bits of Gorillaz, Fiona Apple, M.I.A., and Billie Eilish in the mix among other things. Her commentary on modern life is sharp. It’s all extremely smart and stylish and fun, and I regret not paying closer attention before today.

“End Of The Road,” out now, is the one that hooked me for good. It’s by no means a Boyz II Men cover. The beat is hard, the vocal swaggering, all of it centered on a half-spoken hook that will drill its way straight through your cerebral cortex: “I don’t know what really really happens at the end of the road.” Erez sounds as comfortable rapping in the second verse as she does harmonizing on some “Hot Knife”-style retro singsong near the beginning. Erez and collaborator Ori Rousso officially have my attention.

Just as good as the song is director Indy Hait’s video, which lets Erez show off her considerable charisma. Here’s Erez’s statement on the clip:

Walking towards the unknown with a smile. That’s what I wanted this video to be all about. The end is the only thing in life that can be predicted, so why am I so afraid of it? I wanted to inspire people to take a look at the magical potential of the unknown nature of life. I believe the relationship with what’s beyond our control needs to be changed. The fear of it can become anticipation. The video doesn’t show an all-optimistic journey. It shows a complex one. The beauty of being completely innocent at one moment, from militant to vulnerable and then in control. That’s true to the journey we all go through, and what this video represents for me.

Watch below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “KTD”
02 “CIPI”
03 “VIEWS” (Feat. Reo Cragun and ROUSSO)
04 “You So Done”
05 “End Of The Road”
06 “Bark Loud”
07 “KIDS” (Feat. BLIMES)
08 “Story” (Feat. ROUSSO)
09 “Knockout”
10 “NO News On TV” (Feat. ROUSSO)
11 “Fire Kites”
12 “Candyman”
13 “Switch Me Off”

KIDS is out 3/26 on City Slang. Pre-order it here.