New Zealand singer Kimbra has just released her new single “Top of the World,” the second track to come off of her third full-length record Primal Heart (produced by Kimbra herself and John Congleton). The album is set to release on January 19th via Warner Bros. Records.
So far, the singer’s new material strays far from her past work. The mood of 2014’s The Golden Echo had an overall brighter tone. On the other hand, with her two latest singles, we get the sense that Kimbra has matured as both an artist and a person, reveling in the clarity that experience rewards. It seems that she clearly writes the best songs after experiencing pain, though.
“Top of the World” sounds just like what you’d expect from the title. It’s triumphant and dark; Kimbra’s back on top and she’s out for revenge. The instrumental, with its African-style backup vocals and a fuzzy, percussive thump that is brittled out through some abrasive production, offers something unlike anything she’s released before. Her braggadocios lyrics (i.e. “I think I’m winning, feel like I might / Feels like I’m in it, feel like a God”) may have come off as self-indulgent in any other context, but the song takes it to another level.
The video is a beautiful compliment to the song, too. We see the singer dancing around in the center of pillars as they slowly crumble down. She changes outfits several times as the camera pans around her in a 360 motion, in every pop music video cliché. All of the outfits are black , which is an interesting contrast from her pure, all-white dress in her last video.
Check out the music video for “Top of the World” and the tracklist for Primal Heart below.
1. “The Good War”
2. “Top of the World”
3. “Everybody Knows”
4. “Like They Do On the TV”
5. “Recovery”
6. “Human”
7. “Lightyears”
8. “Black Sky”
9. “Past Love”
10. “Right Direction”
11. “Version of Me”
12. “Real Life”
Photo Credit: Owen Ela
Leave a Comment