Kweku Collins Feels Hope and Dread at the Same Time on New Single “Tangerine”

The Chicago-based artist shares the first cut from Side B of his new project Then Spring.
First Listen

Kweku Collins Feels Hope and Dread at the Same Time on New Single “Tangerine”

The Chicago-based artist shares the first cut from Side B of his new project Then Spring.

Words: Mike LeSuer

Photo: Joel Verges

December 29, 2022

Since his earliest releases in 2015, Kweku Collins has been innovating. That mindset has largely been evident in his lighter-than-air electronically processed raps merging SoundCloud-sourced hip-hop with radio-friendly pop sounds, with elements of trap and soul finding their way into the mix. But with his latest release, Collins aims to focus that creativity on the album rollout process, with Then Spring arriving in two parts. “The way many consumers interact with digital media is changing,” he shared upon the release of the record’s Side A back in early November. “It’s something we haven’t tried yet, and it’s an idea I want to explore further in the future.”

Today Collins is unveiling the first sample of Side B in the form of “Tangerine,” a song that manages to pull in two different directions simultaneously—both lyrically and instrumentally. “I wrote the hook in January of 2020, watching the sun go down in LA,” he explains. “Sometimes I feel really happy and really sad at the same time. Hope and dread hold hands. ‘Tangerine’ is about realizing, ‘I’m lost. Do I stay lost or do I find my way?’”

After shouting out New York and London’s drill scenes—and before referencing lover’s rock—the song oddly builds upon a drill bass beat while exploring shades of reggae all while maintaining the roots of what makes the songwriter’s music unique. “The use of the upbeat in reggae, and the use of tresillo in drill (listen to the hi-hat patterns) remind me of each other in the way that they made a pre-existing music into something new,” he adds.

Check out the track below, and expect Side B to drop some time in 2023.