You may know Kimiko Glenn’s face from her role in Orange Is the New Black or any number of other comedy series spanning the past 10 years or so—from Broad City to Drunk History—though she’s just as well known for her voice work (e.g. on BoJack Horseman and the recent DuckTales reboot). You can hear that voice in an all new light, though, on her upcoming debut EP under the mononym KIMIKO. The newly announced project titled Modern Dance will drop on May 29, with its five songs largely inspired by figures like Sabrina Carpenter and Lily Allen who’ve been pushing pop music forward in recent years.
Additionally, the EP will serve as something of a personal statement for the artist, with the second single (following last year’s “Hang Out Forever?”) “Emotional Whiplash” sourcing its lyrics from frustrating dating experiences. Breathy, vocoded verses lead into a minimal, futuristic synthpop instrumental as KIMIKO manages to keep her cool throughout the events she recounts. “‘Emotional Whiplash’ is based off the experience of someone love-bombing you and then pulling back as soon as you match their energy,” she shares. “This one told me on the second date that he deleted all the apps and told his parents about me. Then said I was moving too fast when I asked if we should schedule another date. Hilariously, I could not tell you what his name was.”
The song’s aptly mind-bending video was directed by Glenn herself, who took the opportunity to step behind the camera for the first time rather than in front of it (well, she does that, too). “To actually muster up the courage and commit to being in this big of a leadership position was really intense!” she admits. “As an actor, my job is usually very compliant: stand on your mark, wear this outfit, say these things. So to be the one calling all the shots was simultaneously empowering, inspiring, and also so, so frightening. I stayed up many a night in a full state of panic. I'm feeling so much more relaxed now that it’s finally come together!”
Check out the video below.
