Taken from his forthcoming EP, Metro Dread, New York’s Native Son delivers a masterful mix of hip-hop, jazz, pop, punk, and soul on Domme Kinderen.

Arriving hot on the heels of his debut, Brown Water – released last month, Domme Kinderen is a sleek, shape-shifting track that refuses to be pigeonholed. Whereas its predecessor was a sledgehammer of an indie/soul/jazz hybrid about the “unwelcome but unavoidable pain many black people feel upon seeing or experiencing instances of police brutality“, the new single is a lighter, more carnal affair built-up from a minimal beat and fluid bass, that rides along for two and a half minutes on roomy, jazzy electric guitar chords and scattered vocal layers. There’s something really hypnotic about the repetition, and the precision of those sweet double-tracked arpeggios set against the slow groove. Falsetto vocals run throughout, butting up against half-woozy rapped verses and a ridiculously catchy chorus of “Dance with me, domme kinderen / Got a monopoly on my time / You say always get that dial tone whenever you call my line“.

In case you’re wondering, ‘domme kinderen’ translates from Dutch as ‘silly children’. Native Son describes the track as “a song I wrote after a Covid-era party; where people flirted through their masks and used their N95’s as excuses to do and say whatever they wanted. The line, “Dance with me, Domme Kinderen” came to mind when a close friend who was chasing after a girl she’s been in love with for years; ended up being strung along with two other people at the party all chasing the same woman.” Musically it falls somewhere between Blood Orange, King Krule, Frank Ocean, and Prince. If that doesn’t sell it, nothing will.

Native Son has written, arranged, performed, and produced everything on Metro Dread from scratch in isolation. Based on the two singles released so far, the results are pretty staggering. His Spotify bio promises it to be a collection “that serves as a commentary on time, blackness, romance, life, and death”. Judging by the strength of this and Brown Water, I’m looking forward to hearing more, and I dare say I’ll be yammering on about it on here in due course. Best suggestion Facebook has ever served me. So. Fucking. Good.

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