Durand Bernarr and his big win at this year’s GRAMMY Awards ceremony have become the stuff that dreams — and memes — are made of. But the indie R&B darling isn’t content to rest on that particular laurel. In fact, he’s already jumping right back into the fray to give the people what they want: new music. To that end, he’s linked up with industry vet James Fauntleroy for his newest single “Wild Ride.”
“Wild Ride” is a bit of a departure from the more melodic, soulful sound that we’ve come to know and love from Durand. This time, the song mostly relies on a slightly distorted synth bass line that’s fortified by drums and a slightly ominous piano. The rest of the musical arrangement comes from Durand and James (who also handled production duties on the track). Durand spends a good measure of the song singing in his rich lower register, adding to the song’s sensuality, while he and James share harmonies that take things in unexpected directions.
Lyrically, Durand plays with innuendo to take us on an intimate and sensual joyride. While inviting us to lead the way, he gets seductive with it while relinquishing control, singing on the chorus, “And you can have the control, don’t rush / You can go slow, slow / And I don’t care where we go / Don’t еven need to know, woah, just go.”
The visualizer for “Wild Ride” picks up on the song’s energy quite nicely. We get some of the more obvious scenes, with Durand cuddled up with a cutie in the backseat of a whip, of course. But we also get visions of quite the wild night as the singer parties it up with friends in a blur of movement and excitement that will make you envious that you weren’t invited to have the time of your life.
We’re not surprised that Durand Bernarr and James Fauntleroy make such a good musical match, but we’re glad that they’ve finally gotten together all the same. Watch what develops when you press play below.
