Bilal has decided to double up on the musical blessings this year. After gifting us with his unexpected live album Live At Glasshaus, the legendary singer-songwriter has announced that he has another album of original material titled Adjust Brightness set to arrive this September. And then, without missing a beat, he dropped the project’s lead single “Sunshine.”
“Sunshine” is a departure even for the sometimes genre-agnostic Bilal. Rather than root things in the typical jazz and R&B of his other works. The track marries a soft acoustic guitar loop with breakneck drums, distorted synths and fuzzy vocals. The combined elements create a trippy groove that is equal parts whimsical and industrial. It’s a sound that shouldn’t work with the song’s loving message, which he dedicates to a love to whom he sings, “Sunshine, you’ve got my world starting to bloom.”
The song’s video taps into the glitchy feel of the track's production. Opening with the visual warping one might find on an old videotape, the clip heavily features a sheen of distortion throughout its runtime. Beyond that, though, is Bilal enjoying a sunny day in various New York City locales as he performs the song.
The single is indicative of the direction that Adjust Brightness is going, according to a quote from Bilal in a press release about the project. “I realized a long time ago that, with the specter of AI and streaming, we risk losing our humanity,” he said. “With Adjust Brightness, it was like: let’s make some s**t that is going to confuse the damn computer. We’re bringing a love frequency — emphasizing the warmth, the love. It’s an intimate record.”
We can’t wait to get our hands on Adjust Brightness, which is set to arrive on September 27th and will be swiftly followed by his Adjust Brightness Tour this October. You can get into what he’ll be bringing this go ’round when you listen to “Sunshine” and watch its video right here. After that, head below to peep the album’s cover art and tracklist.
Bilal Adjust Brightness tracklist:
1. Ever Changing
2. Sunshine
3. Lay Around
4. Tell Me
5. Who We Are Now
6. A to Z
7. The Story featuring Robert Glasper
8. Micro Macro
9. Adjust Brightness
10. Conditional
11. The Other Day
