This week, New York indie pop singer-songwriter Vagabon released a new single from her upcoming album Sorry I Haven’t Called, which comes out on September 15th. The new track “Do Your Worst” is an exciting, fast-paced confrontation that combines dance, pop, and late-night club aesthetics. The track arrives with an Angela Ricciardi-directed music video.
“Do You Worst” was released on July 20th via Nonesuch Records. Out of the three singles leading up to her new album’s release, “Do Your Worst” has the deepest roots in electronic music, a production style she has explored further as her decade-long career progressed. Written and produced in Germany, this album’s production appears to be handled mainly by Rostam Batmanglij, the former Vampire Weekend member and acclaimed record producer behind projects such as Clairo’s Immunity, Maggie Rogers’ Heard It in a Past Life, as well as Carly Rae Jepson’s upcoming album The Loveliest Time. The track was also co-produced by Teo Halm and Vagabon herself.
The driving force of “Do Your Worst” comes from the breakbeat percussion. Soft synth pads, grumbling bass and vibrant leads surround this intricate beat, creating a dark, moody atmosphere. When combined with the eclectic, nighttime city setting of the music video, the song appears built for an electronic dance club, placed in a cold city. It has a similar energy to some of the best tracks out of the 2010s pop music club boom, but with the modern production techniques of acts like PinkPantheress, Mura Masa, and Godford. Vagabon states this inspiration in a press release; “I set out to make an instrumental that drew from the music you’d hear at an underground club in Germany or the UK yet still lived in the Vagabon musical lexicon.”
Vagabon will be heading out on tour following the release of Sorry I Haven’t Called, with a stop at Philadelphia’s Underground Arts on Oct. 27th, with support from Nourished By Time; tickets and more information at the WXPN Concerts and Events page. Her upcoming album consists of 12 tracks, and can be pre-ordered and pre-saved through her website. Check out the new single “Do Your Worst” below.