Earlier this week, Anderson .Paak released ‘Tints‘, a new single in anticipation for his upcoming album. I loved his previous single ‘Bubblin”, so I was excited to hear what the singer/rapper had to deliver on this track. Not to mention it featured Kendrick Lamar, one of the best and most versatile rappers of this generation, so it seemed unlikely to flop.
So how was the song? First thing I noticed was the smooth guitar and synth chords with some great soul influences as well. Light background vocals, assorted percussion, and other small features of the song add a lot of depth and beauty to the instrumental.
Anderson. Paak comes into the song with great energy and a ton of personality that only boosts the atmosphere. He sounds cool and confident, as if he’s just riding the beat and seeing where it goes. Once the chorus comes in, he lays down some super chill and melodic bars, all parts of the instrumental rising up with him into a heavenly aesthetic. Anderson croons about cruising in a full tinted whip, a girl by his side, and fresh air swelling outside, a perfect theme for the style of the song.
Kendrick comes in as good if not better than I expected. The style of the song is no different than some of the material he worked on with Good Kid, m.a.a.d city and To Pimp A Butterfly, so this is very comfortable ground for him. He bounces over the jazzy progressions with some great flow and wordplay. As the verse progresses, Kendrick’s energy only increases, leading fluidly into the second chorus with ease and style. In his second verse, Anderson is just as solid, playing around with the background vocals and inserting some nice melodic inflections to his lyrics that fit very well into the surrounding sound.
Following a third chorus, the track is stripped down just to a few basic elements, with only Anderson’s voice, a doubling female vocalist, a grooving bass, and some percussive hits being apparent. The r&b type outro leads the song out with a cool, sensual feel while maintaining the sounds of the track. It ends on a hard stop of the vocals, echoing decreasingly into silence.
Overall, the single is a great addition to Anderson .Paak’s discography and perfectly depicts his growth as an artist. Everything from his vocals to his instrumentals has only gotten better, and I can’t wait to see what he’s going to deliver on his album, which should come out later this year. Until then, this and ‘Bubblin’‘ should hold me over.