We’re Already Dead

M.I.A. “Gen N-E-Y”

So yeah, I didn’t like ///Y/ very much. And because of this, I wonder if a lot of my enthusiastic approval of Vicki Leekx is based on just feeling relieved that M.I.A. is once again focusing on her strengths rather than her weaknesses. Whereas ///Y/ was a messy, joyless slog, the mixtape repositions her as a brilliant curator of beats and the kind of vocalist who knows exactly how to make her bitterness and anger sound like a very good time. “Gen N-E-Y” is a highlight of the mix, and it’s one of the most brutal tracks she’s ever done. She’s tearing someone apart — some people are saying it’s a Diplo dis track, which sounds about right to me — and her spite sounds incredibly focused. There’s some very well-applied filter effect on her voice, and it intensifies the nastiness in her tone, as if her words have been sharpened to a point being plunged into the person she’s addressing on every hard beat. It’s vicious, but weirdly fun. Misanthropic glee, I guess.

Get the full mixtape for free from M.I.A.