New Orleans duo $uicideboy$ are a conundrum: A culty underground rap phenomenon that’s ascended to arena-headliner level. Face-tatted cousins $crim and Ruby Da Cherry are white punks on dope who rap about addiction and mental illness, and they’ve become a beloved institution among certain circles. The last time I went to Walmart, the guy at the checkout booth had the name of their label tattooed on his arm. They are a force in the world now.

$uicideboy$ release a lot of music, but there’s a difference between the mixtapes, the EPs, and the proper albums. We’re about to get a proper album. $crim released his solo LP Lonely Boy in January, and now $uicideboy$ are preparing to drop New World Depression, their follow-up to 2022’s Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation, this summer. Today, the first single arrives.

“Us Vs. Them” is vintage $uicideboy$: creepy flickering beat, evil singsong nursery-rhyme hooks, lyrics about chewing fentanyl and snorting percocet. It’s directly inspired by ’90s underground rap, of both the backpack and the Southern mixtape varieties, and it’s effective on both fronts. These guys can really rap. Listen below.

New World Depression is out 614 on G59.