RIYL: Parquet Courts, UGK

Grade: B+

Review By: Sean Lynch

Parquet Courts released a single via Rough Trade in collaboration with Bun B of UGK. The single is a remix of “Captive of the Sun” off of Parquet Courts’ 2016 album Human Performance. The B-side features a remix of the track from Houston based producers DJ Candlestick and OG Ron C. Guitarist Austin Brown also released a playlist of rap music to go along with the release of the single.

The collaboration between Parquet Courts and Bun B is peculiar, but captivating.  Austin Brown carries the same style of off-kilter vocals that the band usually uses, but incorporates a Beck-esque concept of abstract hip hop in his vocals. The song carries the same instrumentation as the original, but gains new interpretation of the song through Bun B’s rapping.

Bun B says it best when he raps “You ain’t know I do rock records/I do it all.” The combination of indie and hip hop has not been utilized as much as with other collaborations like hip hop and pop.While unconventional, this single invites the potential for future collaboration between indie and hip hop artists.