Prince and his backing band 3RDEYEGIRL have just released a new song entitled “HARDROCKLOVER”. Sometimes seen as an artist who hides in plain sight, Prince really killed it with this new song released on SoundCloud. He has been releasing new material for quite a while, including two studio albums back in September of 2014. Even more recently was his tribute song: Baltimore, coining him as a political artist with significant opinion in the events of Baltimore earlier this year. With “HARDROCKLOVER”, it’s pure psychedelia and pure Prince.
The whole beginning of the song is a build up. You can tell from the second you press play you are in for something good. The rhythm is smooth as it builds up to the breakthrough: “So I can make this woman scream!”. The song bursts into incredible guitar riffs and truly showcases Prince’s vocal talent. What is seen to be really unique about this song is the restraint and control Prince manages to have at exactly the right times. “HARDROCKLOVER” combines elements from funk, rock, R&B and hip-hop as Prince genuinely does.
Blanketing Prince as an artist and this song under a genre label would be incorrect. What Prince really has a talent for is combining bits and pieces from memorable genres to create something of his own. Many artists find themselves falling and getting stuck into a genre, but Prince is always trying something new while sticking to his classic characteristics as an artist. “HARDROCKLOVER” shows Prince’s experimentation and skill, especially with his falsettos. The skill maintained as a vocalist is really showcased in this song, and shows that Prince will never be limited to one type of music.
With new material coming from Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL, the band has plenty to keep them touring. After playing many smaller intimate shows this year, we’re interested to see the direction Prince takes with his new material. We can only expect he’ll continue doing what he does best: experimentation with the new but staying true to his classic style. We know that Prince has been in the press lately for removing his music from many streaming services except Tidal, however he seems to be maintaining his image as an artist well. Besides being genuine representation of why genre boundaries are unnecessary, he goes out of his way as an artist to promote and produce new material for his fans.
While “HARDROCKLOVER” allows Prince to expand as a vocalist, it also provides us with a preview with what Prince may come up with in the future. Subdued (to a point) psychedelic music is a unique way for Prince to proof new types of music and test the waters with his audience. As an artist, we can observe how he expands on his talent and passion with new material and we await it excitedly.
You can listen to Prince’s new song “HARDROCKLOVER” below by Soundcloud.
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