Singer bLAck pARty gave us a jam last year when he dropped his two-song EP Birds & Bees and a video for the track "Soakin." He's taken a few months to himself since then, but now he's back on the scene to give us a breezy bop just in time for summer with "Hotline."
"Hotline" is a collaboration between bLAck pARty and producer Lido, who crafted an '80s-leaning vibe with warm synths and programmed drums that sways to the singer's rhythm and sensibilities.
He takes the opportunity to get flirty with a lover as he instructs her to pick up the phone whenever she needs. "Hit my hotline (hotline) / Call me anytime, any day / I am just a call away," he sings on the chorus. Meanwhile, he uses the verses to establish that he wants their communication to be a bit more old school rather than just texting back and forth.
In the song's video, he takes it even further back. The video evokes the heyday of the telephone hotlines with a commercial for 555-REAL-ONE, with the promise of stimulating conversation when album delivery deadlines are leaving you dry.
Rotary phones, retro TVs and the grainy feel of videotape fully immerse us in the period as bLAck pARty and the woman from the commercial get cozy over the phone before things get a little too trippy. The background gets wavy like a bad trip and things start sinking into the carpet. But before we see what's what, we get a dial tone and the screen fades to black.
With talk of album delivery dates and new music, this one just might be the precursor to a new project from bLAck pARty. Before we see if that happens, get on his "Hotline" right now when you press play and watch below.
