SBTRKT, the electronic music project of English producer Aaron Jerome, has announced his third album, The Rat Road, which will be released on May 5th. As a preview, he’s shared its lead single “Waiting.”
SBTRKT’s first full-length offering since 2016’s SAVE YOURSELF, The Rat Road boasts a wall-to-wall effort by the producer, who played every instrument and recorded, produced, and mixed the entire project himself. In a statement, he called it his “most sonically ambitious record to create, following my own musical path, which isn’t based on others’ perceptions of what SBTRKT should be.”
He continued by expanding on the album’s relation to “the rat race,” sharing, “It’s partly based on my own challenging experiences within the music industry and life generally, though I realized the idea is not isolated from a much wider feeling of exhaustion.”
The journey on The Rat Road begins with its lead single, “Waiting,” which features Texas-based vocalist and Tyler, The Creator collaborator, Teezo Touchdown. The partnership occurred after SBTRKT heard the singer’s 2021 song “I’m Just a Fan,” and connected at the latter’s tour stop in London.
“In some ways – although personal to Teezo too – [the lyrics] perfectly summed up everything I had been going through,” he shared. “It therefore felt like the most obvious song to then lead into my album with.” Stream “Waiting” below.
SBTRKT’s The Rat Road will arrive on May 5th. Though the full tracklist has not yet been unveiled, it will definitely contain the producer’s late 2022 loosie “FORWARD” featuring LEILAH. Meanwhile, the inclusion of his previous comeback track “Bodmin Moor” remains uncertain. Pre-orders are ongoing.
Catch SBTRKT for his sole live date this summer at London’s Field Day Festival on August 19th. Find passes and deals via Viagogo.
“Waiting” Single Artwork:
