10 years ago, radio stations were always repeating a song with an immediately recognizable intro: “What, what / What, what,” followed by an infectious saxophone melody that led into the song — “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Though Macklemore‘s momentum has obviously slowed since that unimaginable height, he’s back today with the song “Maniac” featuring Windser.
“Maniac” is a surprisingly gentle pop track with wholesome lyrics: “I fell in love with her moonwalk / Dancing in the kitchen in her tube socks,” he raps, his verses cushioned in between Windser’s delicately-sung choruses. The old-timey, green music video adds to the pretty atmosphere of the song, especially with the brief Nardwuar cameo.
Last year, Macklemore opened up about his struggles with addiction. “I didn’t even know it was a disease at the beginning, I went for years like ‘why can I not f*cking stop, why can I not drink and smoke like my friends,” he said. “Why when I wake up is that the first thing I’m thinking about…’ I didn’t know that there was a community that was there to support and love me unconditionally that had the same f*cking disease.”
Watch the video for his new song “Maniac” above.