It’s hard to believe that Steve Lacy hasn’t released a new track in over three years, because he’s been firmly entrenched in mainstream consciousness ever since he put out Apollo XXI in 2019. Earlier this year, Lacy jumped on “Skin Tight,” off of Ravyn Lenae’s debut LP, Hypnos (which he co-produced much of). He also appeared on Foushee’s “Double Standard” and is slated to be on Brent Faiyaz’s new album. These are all examples of Lacy lending his master-touch to help elevate other artists’ games; It’s what made him stand out as an integral member of The Internet to begin with.
However, the mystique of his solo work is even more intriguing than his work as a right-hand player. It’s what garnered Apollo XXI a Grammy nomination and what helps build the anticipation for his sophomore album. Gemini Rights is the name of his upcoming drop, due out this summer, and now “Mercury” represents its lead single.
The song opens with a cowbell-inflected bossa nova groove, as Lacy softly sings in his velvet coo. His signature guitar riffs are at every turn, but he’s playing with complex rhythms. It builds up into an explosive conclusion and Lacy explained to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 that a lot of the output from Gemini Rights will follow this pattern: “All of the singles, they all have a dual side, they all switch up, so like “Mercury’s” the first half and then the second half is something else, and then the singles do the same thing.”
Watch the video for “Mercury” above.
Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.