MIA's New Song Is Quite The Head Trip

Brace yourselves (and invest in a solid set of headphones). Come November 5, M.I.A.'s much-awaited, much-delayed fourth LP, Matangi, drops. She's been teasing tracks from the project over the past few months with the industrial rave bounce of "Bring The Noize," the reserved "Unbreak My Mixtape," "Bad Girls," and today's newest installment, "Come Walk With Me."

Sonically, the track lands somewhere between her previous two tracks. Built around a strutting guitar riff and a loaded snare, the song explodes into a dozen diverging rhythms containing her most anthemic chorus in years. The handclaps and cheery call-and-response elements seem like a cheeky nod to her cameo in Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin'," but hey, what's M.I.A. without a little controversy?

"Come Walk With Me" comes at us through a pretty wild, animated lyric video. The levity — and lack of aggression — is noteworthy for an M.I.A. clip, but we can't help but wonder if it's all a clever trap. Will the official video be just as breezy and colorful, or will it sucker punch us all into queasy submission like the graphic, banned "Born Free" video? (Complex)



Photo: Courtesy of XL Recordings.