Toronto-based experimental pop artist Meg Remy, of the group U.S. Girls, has released a new song titled, “Good Kinda High,” featuring samples from late pianist Glenn Gould. According to Pitchfork, the song samples Gould’s performances of two movements from Johann Sebastian Bach’s English Suites. It’s self described by the group as “an unlikely collaboration.”
The song begins with warped vocals and a hint of the piano melody to come, before it drops into a moody, dark tune that’s led by a clean drum beat. There’s a little spooky element to the song with screams interlaced in the background at times, Meg Remy’s breathy, almost creepy voice and the dark piano melody that’s played throughout the song. During the chorus, the background vocals come in to support Remy and create a more ethereal sound. The running piano also comes in and the song becomes much more intense.
In the video for “Good Kinda High,” there’s a story being told through words and black-and-white video about a girl who is high. Throughout the video, lips singing the lyrics come through the screen and bring us back to the present even though all of the clips being shown are from a long time ago. There’s a lot of wide-eyed women and it feels like we are being taken through old horror movies.
Last year, Meg Remy and U.S. Girls released a holiday song titled, “Santa Stay Home,” that was about the perils of consumerism during Christmas time. This year, the group was nominated for a Juno Award for the best alternative album of the year with Heavy Light. U.S. Girls also contributed to the 4AD label’s compilation album, in which they covered “Junkyard” by The Birthday Party.