New Gods is a song by Grimes. It is the sixth track on her fifth album, Miss Anthropocene.
Background[]
An early version of the song was leaked alongside other unfinished tracks of the album on October 25, 2019. This version has additional instrumentation not present in the final album version.[1][2] The final version was leaked on November 24, 2019 as part of the full album leak.[3]
Composition[]
Meaning[]
Grimes told Apple Music:[4]
❝ I really wish I started the record with this song. I just wanted to write the thesis down: It’s about how the old gods sucked—well, I don’t want to say they sucked, but how the old gods have definitely let people down a bit. If you look at old polytheistic religions, they’re sort of pre-technology. I figured it would be a good creative exercise to try to think like, ‘If we were making these gods now, what would they be like?’ So it’s sort of about the desire for new gods. And with this one, I was trying to give it a movie soundtrack energy. ❞
And spoke about the song during her Live Podcast with Sean Carroll:[5]
❝ It makes more sense … Yeah, the stories are great. And it’s just … I was like, “Well, who are the new gods?” Because we have all this new stuff. We have plastic and pollution and plastic surgery and social media. The new gods sound sick. They sound like … like the Sailor Scouts, like these sick demons. So that’s kind of where my weird imagination has been going. ❞
Media[]
Video[]
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Title | New Gods | |
| Premiere | 6 May 2022 (OpenSea) 15 May 2022 (YouTube) | |
| Length | 3:15 | |
| Filmed | 2020 | |
| Featuring | WarNymph | |
| Director | Grimes, Mac Boucher, Sevi Iko Dømochevsky | |
| Producer | Mac Boucher | |
| Production company | Production Club | |
| SFX | Daniel Benza, Razorade | |
| DP | Neil Hansen | |
Additional Credits
- Gaffer: Matt Hill
- Hair: Chanel Croker
- Key Grip: Luis Batres
- Makeup: Natasha Severino
- P.A: Symone Holliday
- Styling: Natasha Advani
- Throne: Carlos Flores Video
- Art: Natalie Fält
- Artist Manager: Daouda Leonard
Background
On 2020, Grimes said in a tweet she was going to shoot a music video for the song.[6] Two years later, Grimes "donated" the song as an NFT, explaining on Instagram:[7]
❝ Donating my video 4 ‘New Gods’ to @unicorn.dao to help their mission to fund/ develop female and non-binary lead art and projects 🤍🗡 ❞
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | SEVI_REEL_2020 | |
| Premiere | 06 Mar 2021 | |
| Length | 0:05 | |
| Filmed | 2020 | |
| Featuring | WarNymph | |
| Director | Grimes, Mac Boucher, Sevi Iko Dømochevsky | |
| Producer | Mac Boucher | |
| Production company | Production Club | |
| SFX | Daniel Benza, Razorade | |
| DP | Neil Hansen | |
| Notes | The footage of interest starts from 0:48 | |
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Oh, you're all I know
But what can I do if I can't see you? It's too bright
Broken glass that shines like Northern Lights
So I pray, but the world burns
And still, you need to come first
So I don't know where you stand
[Pre-Chorus]
Are you a man?
Are you something I can't stand?
[Chorus]
Hands reaching out for new gods
You can't give me what I want
[Verse 2]
But what do I know? Oh
What do I know?
I wanna let go, I
I wanna, wanna, wanna let go
[Pre-Chorus]
I wear black eyeliner, black attire, yeah
So take me higher and higher and higher
[Bridge]
But the world is a sad place, baby
Only brand new gods can save me
Only brand new gods can save me
Only brand new gods
[Chorus]
Hands reaching out for new gods
You can't give me what I want
Hands reaching out for new gods
You can't give me what I want
References[]
- ↑ https://youtu.be/IdWSTpcVV8I?t=545
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/dndsgr/the_source_of_the_leak_may_have_been_sony_look_at/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/e173zn/leak_grimes_miss_anthropocene/
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/miss-anthropocene/1496782284
- ↑ https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2019/11/18/73-grimes-c-on-music-creativity-and-digital-personae/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1264682938320318464?s=20
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdmf_18oFcb/?hl=en-gb