Santigold Is “Chasing Shadows” in Her New Song, New Album Out Next Month

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It’s been more than three-and-a-half years since Santigold’s last album, 2012’s Master of My Make-Believe, but the L.E.S. artiste is quickly gearing up for that album’s followup, the cleverly-titled 99¢. Originally slated to drop next week, Santigold announced that the album has, unfortunately, been pushed back to February 26th.

Fortunately, the “Creator” herself has released a new song to help tide us over until then. Premiering on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show, “Chasing Shadows” is a departure from the buzzy self-empowerment anthem “Can’t Get Enough of Myself” that marked Santigold’s first return to the spotlight last November, and from the ILOVEMAKONNEN collaboration “Who Be Lovin’ Me” that featured Santigold rhyming over a Zeds Dead trap beat. Instead, this newest offering finds the songstress floating over a vaguely tropical beat while insisting, “I’ve always known I’d be international/ Got no fear of flying.”

In a recent press release, Santigold said this about the song:

“Chasing Shadows” is about the conflicted reality of an artist’s life. Caught in the web we spin around ourselves, a mixture of hubris and the guise of perfection, we fear being swallowed up by our own ambition. Never in the moment, as quickly as we reach our goals, our gaze shifts to those still looming in the distance. We judge ourselves harshly for not being further on the path and revel in the anxiety of racing the rate of consumption. The lyrics weigh the value of going against the current to maintain artistic integrity, and the feelings of isolation and vacancy bred by a persona that is always “on” and ready for show.

Listen to the song here on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show at around the 59:25 mark, watch the TIDAL exclusive music video here, or watch the infomercial she made to accompany the song’s release below.