King Isis continues to show us why they’re one of the most exciting act in the indie landscape right now. Earlier this week, the queer-led, Afro-futuristic artist from Oakland shared a trippy cover of Sexyy Red‘s “Pound Town.”
Driven by hypnotic guitars and clashing drums, Isis transformed the viral hip-hop hit into a moody, alternative banger. In a video shared to Isis’ YouTube channel, they are accompanied by a backing band, as they perform in a grungy, garage-like setting.
Throughout their discography, Isis has experimented with rock, hip-hop, R&B, and jazz sounds. In an interview with DIY Magazine, Isis explained that they don’t like to be kept inside a box, nor do they care for their music to be palatable or accessible to everyone. Rather, they make music that reflects what’s happening inside their mind at the moment, not sticking to any set routine for making music.
“I feel like it’s more palatable for songs to have a bright-sounding instrumental, and then dark lyrics. But that’s not the intention of how I write, to be accessible,” they said. “In my head it all goes together, but an outside perspective might be like, ‘What the f*ck is going on?’”
You can see the cover of “Pound Town” above.