“Streaky,” released this past Saturday, is not standard fare from Death Grips. It still has all their tells — blipping synths, MC Ride’s inexhaustible, commanding voice at every volume, anxiety and a sense of foreboding but not since “Hacker,” from their 2012 release The Money Store has Death Grips sounded so pop friendly. There’s a clear progression from chorus to verse and back to chorus again, which seems to be an intentional choice rather than falling back on simpler compositions. In addition, all leitmotifs are introduced within the first minute of the track. There’s something comforting about the shift to a more traditional place, but also something intensely disconcerting. “Streaky” possesses the sleekness of a Government Plates track and the coolness of some of the calmer moments of Bottomless Pit, but, as always, tension and worry are boiling underneath. Their six albums and other releases have proved that the group is capable of creating evocative, disparate sonic landscapes and “Streaky” points to a definite turn for Year of the Snitch. The predictability and ease of “Streaky” might be a sign of future restraint —or just a red herring.
Single Review: ‘Streaky’ is surprisingly standard
