Ariel Pink’s New Single “Black Ballerina”

As the days go by, Ariel Pink’s boldness grows and his confidence in trolling expands. He recently caused a stir with his public comments about Madonna, Grimes, and misogyny in general, but let’s focus on the music coming from this unique artist. Pink released his new single “Black Ballerina” last week on the artistically-minded 4AD label out of London. The rest of the new album pom pom will be out November 18. The track opens with a circular synthy bassline pushing the song forward into heavily new wave territory. The spoken parts in the chorus remind me of Berlin-era Bowie, though the song dives off into much less serious dialogue between a nervous young man and an L.A. stripper: “Uhhh I like your aureolas, lady.” The entire song is a study in sweet lo-fi goodness with plenty of bounce I can’t help but groove on. Check out “Black Ballerina” below and pre-order the album here.