New Atmosphere - "Guarantees" (Plus Episode 6 of "Paint It Gold")

(Atmosphere - "Guarantees")


(Paint it Gold Episode 6)

While we were joshin' it up with tales of carnage, accidentally record records, mixed-gendered Canadian soccer teams, and additions to the Oxford English Dictionary, MPLS rap-duo Atmos-following-the-phere released not one, but two videos. The first is for what is presumably the second single off their forthcoming record, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. The song is called "Guarantees" and, like first single "Shoulda Known", it's a cautionary tale about the darker side of life, but whereas "Shoulda Known" seemed to be more of a fictional account of chemical excess, "Guarantees" is ripped right out of the pages of Slug's life.

Also, that's not the only way the two tracks differ. While "Shoulda Known" was a departure from previous efforts because of its G-funk sliding synth-bass hook and Slug's nasal-heavy delivery (making him sound much like Snoop Dogg), "Guarantees" is just a rap and a guitar. But, contrary Idolator's somehow-both-accurate-and-bogus analysis of the track, this shouldn't be taken as Atmosphere's rap-rock song.

Indeed, there's not nearly enough bombast or mysogyny for it to qualify it as "rap-rock". Rather, it's a stripped down, plantive lament about everyday struggles, and one that just happens to be set to guitar. The video itself is pretty simple too: Just Slug, who's looking more and more like Johnny Depp, rappin' about his struggles with his family and job. Despite so many details from his life, this track seems to ordinary for it to stand out upon first listen.

With that out of the way, "Guarantees" shouldn't stop the considerable momentum building up to the release of Gold, the duo's sixth effort. Watch it at the top of the post.

On a lighter note, the duo released part 6 of their YouTube Series "Paint it Gold", which you can also watch at the top of the post.

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold is out on April 22nd.

Atmosphere Myspace Page

(Jonathan Graef)