Despite the upbeat sound brought to us by producer Jai Wolf and singer/songwriter BANKS, the lyrics for “Don’t Look Down” bring a more vulnerable mood to the overall tune.
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Stream: “Don’t Look Down” – Jai Wolf & BANKS
Eight years since the release of her first studio album Goddess, BANKS has continued to leave an impression on the music industry. With millions of global streams, numerous high-charting songs and albums, and releases like “Better” being used for the hit television show Girls, the BANKS’ impact has surely been felt.
In her fourth studio album Serpentina (AWAL Records), BANKS stayed true to her artistic style, while also branching out and creating sounds that were new to fans and artist alike. Yet she still managed to execute the vulnerability she is known for in songs like “Burn” and “Birds by the Sea,” where she expresses the familiar, yet harsh emotions that comes with losing someone you once loved.
On “F**k Love,” an up-tempo hip-hop-influenced tune, BANKS admits to not knowing much about love and not wanting to deal with any of the bullshit that comes with dating. With lyrics like, “I don’t know about love, I don’t give a shit about it,” that bold message becomes even more apparent.
Next on the track list is “Deadend,” where we hear BANKS admit to not wanting to be hurt again in a relationship and dealing with another “dead end.” In “Spirit,” one of the most unique tracks on the album, BANKS collaborates with North Carolinian R&B singer and songwriter Samoht. Brought on by the familiar atmosphere of a keyboard ever present in a Black church, the two sing about not giving up and having faith amongst the struggle:
It’s easier to just feel defeated
Ain’t nothing real to lose
if you never get your hopes up
I know if you try, you can achieve it
F**k anyone who tells you you can’t do it,
you don’t need it
If you keep digging deep, you’ll see it
Baby, when I feel like, feel like giving up
Something in my spirit tells me
I ain’t had enough
And I know it don’t feel easy
’cause life can feel down and up
But there’s something ’bout the struggle
that makes me wanna get back up
With lyrics like these, the song is definitely more of a 180 degree turn from the rest of the album, and in the best way yet. Definitely check out the rest of BANKS’ Serpentina to hear for yourself.
On to her newest feat, “Don’t Look Down,” which is brought to us by a collaboration with Bangladeshi-American electronic producer Jai Wolf.
Wolf’s work is a bit more upbeat than BANKS’ songs on Serpentina, and she lends her vocals to make a perfect collaboration and a surefire summer hit. While “Don’t Look Down” differs quite a bit from her own latest album, its message is again dealing with that same vulnerability and empowerment – and in the same breath.
The track opens with a dramatic start, then quickly transforms into a synth-pop tune reminiscent of “Spirit,” with BANKS’ uplifting and serious vocals and lyrics – of course, accompanied by Wolf’s fun, upbeat production:
Sometimes I overthink
Compulsively get in my head
Wait for the truth to sink in, to feel my own skin
Whiplash in polaroids
Left to the flip of a coin
Dissonance turnin’ your voice into white noise
So what if I say out loud
What I’m afraid of?
From my heart to my mouth
Climbin’ the way up
I know I’m terrified
When I get too high
But if I don’t look down
I won’t be too dizzy to stay
And I won’t go slippin’ away
I’ll keep my head in the clouds
If I don’t look down
Maybe I’ll land on my feet
Find comfort in quiet and peace
I’ll be in the here, I’ll be in the now
If I don’t look down
BANKS describes the exhaustion that comes with overthinking, and how it feels like once the truth hits, it’ll bring one back center.
But what if instead of overthinking and getting in her head, she admits her fears – giving power to herself in the midst of it? And what if, by not getting too into her head, she can still dream and not feel that whiplash of reality – and instead, just live in that moment of freedom?
I’m on a carousel
Spinnin’ so fast, I need help
In all of the muted pastels, losin’ myself
Here she describes that feeling of spinning out of control and loosely hanging on to what she has left, for the thoughts are getting to her and bringing her down.
So what if I say out loud
What I’m afraid of?
From my heart to my mouth
Climbin’ the way up
I know I’m terrified
Whеn I get too high
But if I don’t look down
I won’t be too dizzy to stay
And I won’t go slippin’ away
I’ll keep my head in thе clouds
If I don’t look down
Maybe I’ll land on my feet
Find comfort in quiet and peace
I’ll be in the here, I’ll be in the now
If I don’t look down
Yet despite feeling like losing herself from the thoughts in her head, she once again wants to escape the overthinking, escape reality, and instead continue to dream and be at peace. Because if one gets too high up and doesn’t look down, what is there to be afraid of?
The lyrics themselves serve as a reminder that overthinking and self-doubt are inevitable – but what if one could prolong such thoughts and continue to dream and feel peace amidst the intrusion? Jai Wolf and BANKS’ “Don’t Look Down” offers comfort in being able to do just that.
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:: stream/purchase Don’t Look Down here ::
Stream: “Don’t Look Down” – Jai Wolf & BANKS
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