tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus is no stranger to bombastic, twisted, cacophonous, brazen pop songs that explode out of the speakers. She is no stranger to odd flourishes that sound at first out of place and then perfectly correct. The first single from her upcoming album Nikki Nack, “Water Fountain”, fit all of those signifiers more or less on point. This second track, “Wait for a Minute” feels like a slightly different beast (there's no "WOO-HA" to be found here).
The track rides a very simple groove, and has no hugely clever tricks up its sleeve. It is a tUnE-yArDs slow-jam, guided by Garbus’ most potent instrument: her expressive voice. By constructing a song that isn’t as knotted up as usual, she gives herself ample room to show off that wonderful instrument. There are still tenets of her sound that peak through here – check those so-damn-close-to-off-beat “huh” sounds she makes in the chorus – but it all congeals to produce a soft, infectious, and still a little off-beat song. Definitely looking forward to this one.
Nikki Nack beams down to Earth on May 6 via 4AD.