An epic thundering excoriating track and video for the times, ‘I’m Getting Tired’ has just been released by legendary producer Jacknife Lee in anticipation of an album ‘The Jacknife Lee’ due out on 26 June 2020. ‘I’m Getting Tired’ features the vocals of Def Jam singer Earl St Clair and the iconic Beth Ditto The video in particular wears its heart and politics on its sleeve – the track encapsulates the sense of anger and weariness about the state of the world today and is utterly cathartic and compelling with its pulsating electronic beat and chanting, refrain:
The call and response, the repetition the squalling horns perfectly capture the passion and a sense of anarchy. Lee said of the song:
I like repetition. Things don’t change much in the track but just works for me. Now we’re in lockdown the lyric has another connotation for me which we explored with the video. I watch news on my phone and get saturated with it. How did these numbskulls get to stand at the podiums? When we wrote the song we were frustrated at these dolts in their ascendancies now here they are. When it gets too much for me, I end up watching people doing dumb shit on Instagram as a counterweight, oscillating between the two. That’s my screen time. That’s the video. Catastrophe and cats.”
It’s an absolutely fabulous track for the age of isolation and frustration. You can download/stream the single here.
The new album, out through Slow Kids Records, will feature Genesis Owusu, Earl St Clair, Beth Ditto, Sneaks, Haviah Mighty, Petite Noir, Muthoni Drummer Queen, Bibi Bourelly, Barny Fletcher, Aloe Blacc, and Open Mike Eagle. The result is a unique trans-continental record of African beats and electronic music.
Jacknife Lee’s role as a producer is legend – he has produced albums by artists including REM, U2, The Killers, Editors, Snow Patrol and Bloc Party to name a few as well as undertaking a raft of remixes. Check out his list of credits here.
Feature photograph: Matt Mahurin
