After April’s ‘Digging in Water’ gave us a
mid-to-late 90s R&B-inspired taste of her upcoming album, BTOWN Vol. 2,
Tunisia’s coast has released her third and latest single. ‘MAI’ very much falls in the realm of neo-soul,
boasting a dreamy elegance that’s a result of its fusion of subtle hip-hop and jazz-tinted
R&B elements. The Paris-based singer’s vocals are soulful, her delivery at
times earnest, with the lyrics seemingly talking of distrust and insecurity in
a relationship. An accompanying animated lyrics video, animated and directed by Bechire Tayachi, maintains the overall aesthetic, using a mixture of nature-inspired footage and fully-illustrated scenes that use pastel colours.
Released on Tunisian label, BLOC C, the
track also serves to tease what is thus far looking like a rather eclectic
upcoming album from the artist, particularly when you consider that the first
single, February’s ‘Se’aat’, was a darker number that steps further towards
hip-hop with a slow crunk-inspired beat.
There’s an overall freshness to the track
that’s owed to its simplicity and uncluttered production from Joshua Gaddis. At
the same time, it evokes a sense of nostalgia and harks back to the late 90s
and early 2000s, when neo-soul was at its peak as an richer, more organic
alternative to the hedonist R&B of the time. This is a track that you could
easily see fitting on a Jill Scott or Erykah Badu record.
