Tricky returns with his 13th album, ‘ununiform’. The album was conceived in Moscow and completed in Berlin, where Tricky has been living for the past three years – not lavishly, but instead leading a clean, reflective and positive life: “I don’t know anybody. I eat good food. I go for walks”.
Pre-order ‘ununiform’ here: https://k7.lnk.to/ununiform
Testament to Tricky’s dynamism, ‘ununiform’ sees him further work with new, up and coming singers as well as collaborators of the past. When We Die features Martina Topley-Bird, who first made an appearance on Tricky’s debut 1995 album, Maxinquaye – released a month before the pair’s daughter was born. They haven’t collaborated on one another’s output in almost fifteen years.
Eerie, haunting yet enveloped by a sense of peace and acceptance, When We Die sees Tricky take hold of a new zest for life he has come to possess: “If you don’t accept death you don’t really accept life” says Tricky. Take a listen to the track via YouTube below.
Highlighting Tricky’s typical genre-expansive sound, ‘ununiform’ features a string of collaborators old and new. These include some of Russia’s most famous rappers such as Scriptonite, who features on Blood Of My Blood & Same As It Ever Was, plus Vasily Vakulenko (Basta) who helped produce single standout The Only Way, and Smokey Mo also makes an appearance on Bang Boogie. Tricky confesses of a 20 year long love affair with Russian hip-hop, to which he has paid homage through recording these tracks in Moscow.
‘ununiform’ also sees Tricky rekindle working relationships with the likes of Francesca Belmonte and Asia Argento, and flip expectations further with a cover of Hole’s 1994 single Doll Parts performed by another bright emerging talent, Avalon Lurks. Meanwhile album highlight Running Wild features vocals from Mina Rose, who will also be joining Tricky’s touring party this year.
Interestingly, the effect of his new-found outlook, freedom and lifestyle has led to Tricky turning back to his classic sound – perhaps the final frontier for such an inveterate experimentalist. “I’ve got nothing to prove now, and I’m comfortable with referencing myself.” Indeed, he’s since described last month’s single The Only Way as “Hell is Round The Corner, Part 2”. This sensation is perhaps a response to a wave of artists referencing Tricky’s ’90s records and his approach, from The xx to boundary-pushing London rappers Gaika and CASisDEAD, the latter of which Tricky recently collaborated with. “I’ve got a really wide audience. So I’ve got nothing to prove. I feel like sometimes it’s OK to do it again.”
The first album that Tricky has released as a truly independent artist free from the pressure of debt and destruction, ‘ununiform’ is a glorious, beautiful and intensely personal attempt to answer the simple question “What does Tricky sound like?”
Track list
1. Obia Intro
2. Same As It Ever Was (feat. Scriptonite)
3. New Stole (feat. Francesca Belmonte)
4. Wait For Signal (feat. Asia Argento)
5. It’s Your Day (feat. Scriptonite)
6. Blood Of My Blood (feat. Scriptonite)
7. Dark Days (feat. Mina Rose)
8. The Only Way
9. Armor (feat. Terra Lopez)
10. Doll Parts (feat. Avalon Lurks)
11. Bang Boogie (feat. Smoky Mo)
12. Running Wild (feat. Mina Rose)
13. When We Die (feat. Martina Topley-Bird)
