Tune-Yards aren’t the first to release a track to promote a tour. Their new single ‘The Ones’ has been released as a tie-in for their ‘The Ones You Love’ tour, which kicks off on the 5th November, and it feels a bit more intentional than many other singles. The track itself has partners and bandmates Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner embracing a Motown vibe for their art-pop. We have a 60s beat with that era-defining slap snare and throwback vocal arrangements that feel hemmed and demure compared to most of Tune-Yards’ skittish and visceral back catalogue. The sound feels familiar yet very new for the duo, who shapeshift every album.
Speaking about the album, Garbus says ‘The Ones’ is “a song for right now: for admitting the ways we haven’t been there for each other, and resolving to stand up for each other, today, in all the ways we can. Revolution needs a driving beat, and we hope we can add to the great music fueling the movement.”
It also got me thinking more about the concept of tour singles. With this track being a marked shift in tone, I wonder if it signals a change in arrangements for the tracks. I saw Tune-Yards live during their Nikki Nack era, and the concert was a bombastic, rustic beat explosion of energy and charisma. It ranks in my top 5 concerts of the 2010’s. I quite like the idea of standalone singles for non-album promoting tours. I prefer it to one new track on a greatest hits or deluxe edition, as I can just buy the single itself and get excited for future shows. Lets hope more musicians touring off album cycle consider this approach.
Enjoy ‘The Ones’, which is out now. For more information about the upcoming American tour dates, visit Tune-Yards’ website.
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