This Is Our Jam: AlunaGeorge, “Your Drums, Your Love”

AlunaGeorge is the sort of act you’d show your parents if they asked you what is cutting edge right now. The name comes a portmanteau of singer Aluna Francis and London-based producer George Reid, who mixes R&B with bass music and pop to arresting effect. Reid favors dense programming that recalls both avant-garde beat makers like Flying Lotus and the high-concept pop of Timbaland, while Francis’ voice floats at airy mid-tempos, as she navigates Reid’s pitch-shifting fireworks.

"Your Drums, Your Love" is AlunaGeorge’s best song to date, probably because it does such a great job of highlighting what each member does so successfully. While manipulated vocals have been heard before from Purity Ring to Kanye West, “Your Drums, Your Love” buoys Francis and expands her reach: “I've been treading water for your love / Whether I sink or swim, it's you I'm thinking of," she sings. It's a mix of bubble gum and R&B that, over the course of the track, reaches something like pop equilibrium.

Below, check out a new video for the track, which does a great job of expressing the tracks’ sonic ideas as Francis navigates a museum.