The great Earl Sweatshirt has lately been appearing on tracks from artists like MIKE, the Alchemist, Boldy James, Armand Hammer, and Wiki. Today, he’s returned with “2010,” his first solo single since last year, when he released an expanded edition of his 2019 EP Feet Of Clay. Earl’s new single is called “2010,” and it’s got him rapping over an expansive beat from past collaborator Black Noi$e.

2010 was the year just before Earl Sweatshirt broke out with Odd Future and became a subject of widespread fascination. On “2010,” Earl gets reflective about that time in his life, clashing with his mother and coming to terms with his own depression: “’03, momma rockin’ Liz Claiborne/ Had her stressin’ up the wall, playin’ Mary J. songs/ Rainy day came, couldn’t rinse the stains off/ Long way to go, we already came far.” Whereas Earl’s recent solo material has been murky and lo-fi, this new track finds him relatively sharp and precise, though the whole style is still deeply introspective.

Ryosuke Tanzawa directed the “2010” video, in which Earl smokes a whole lot of weed and basks in natural light. His dreads are getting really long now, and he looks cool as hell. Watch the video below.

“2010” is out now on Tan Cressida/Warner.