Every week, our Song of the Week r0und-up dives into the latest and greatest new tracks. Find these and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, The Voidz get synthy and spooky with “Flexorcist.”
Halloween might not be for another few days, but Julian Casablancas and The Voidz are kicking off the Halloweekend the only way they know how — by dropping a disco-tinged synth-rock bop. Complete with imagery of evil eyes and an accompanying visual featuring a looming demon, “Flexoricist” arrives just in time to save your costume party from having to pad out its playlist with various “Monster Mash” covers.
Despite its spooky-ooky context and six-minute runtime, “Flexorcist” showcases The Voidz at their poppiest and most accessible. New wave synth lines, electronic drums, a baseline plucked straight from ’87, and Casablancas’ trademark tunefulness (heavily processed with vocal effects, of course) all collide to foster an uncanny feeling of immaterial nostalgia, as if the band is calling back to a version of the 1980s from an alternate timeline.
Meanwhile, Casablancas contrasts the rather upbeat jam with what reads as the struggle to retain one’s sanity, especially when outside forces claim you might have lost it. “When you first met me/ I was probably doing something crazy/ I’m not that special,” he wails, dangerously nearing “Creep” territory of self-deprecation.
But if doing something crazy means grooving along with The Voidz’ out-there spin on Strokesian indie rock, consider us officially loony. We hope your Halloween costume features dancing shoes, because once the DJ spins this track, you’ll be willed to the dance floor like a zombie who’s just caught a whiff of sweet, delicious brains.
— Jonah Krueger
Editorial Coordinator