Arthur Ashin creates avant-garde R&B under the name Autre Ne Veut. His 2013 debut Anxiety was one of the strongest releases of that year, and now he’s released “Panic Room,” the second single for its followup, The Age of Transparency. You can hear it via Spotify below.
A few weeks ago, Ashin released a video for “World War Pt. 2,” in which he appears naked, lounging around a very spacious home with a nude woman latched to his body. Like Ashin’s music, it’s purposefully uncomfortable and far from sexy; we’ll give it the NSFW treatment, but the reason it’s not safe for work is because you don’t need your colleagues thinking you’re deranged. “World War Pt. 2” is also beautiful, and its video is also a stark and discomfiting portrayal of contemporary sexual relationships—Ashin rarely breaks eye contact with the camera as he wears the woman like a pendant.
Somewhat mercifully (particularly given its title), “Panic Room” doesn’t yet have a video. The track finds Ashin spreading his voice over a slurry beat and rising synths and culminates in a chorus that sounds like the bad end of a long night out. Check it out below, along with The Age of Transparency‘s track list and album art.
The Age of Transparency track list
“On and On (Reprise)”
“Panic Room”
“Cold Winds”
“Age of Transparency”
“Switch Hitter”
“Never Wanted”
“Word War Pt. 2”
“Over Now”
“Get Out”
The Age of Transparency is out October 2 on Downtown.
(via Gorilla vs. Bear)
