"Drowning" - Banks [Lyrics + SoundCloud Audio]

In the months leading up to the release of her debut album, Goddess, Banks has shared some truly jaw-dropping songs that pair her with production masters like Lil Silva and Shlohmo. "Drowning" is another one of those. Though I've never heard of Al Shux before, his work on "Drowning" is yet another instance of Banks' chemistry with producers seeming impossibly smooth. Listen above, and scroll down for the song's lyrics.

Maybe it's the subject matter of most Banks songs that throws me -- breakups and navigation of social hierarchies are hardly unique topics for indie pop / R&B singers to tackle, but Banks' music contains all of the personality she needs to stand out in a sea of similarly-pigeonholed peers. With Shux splicing in a symphony of pitch-warped vocal samples and soft, atmospheric synths behind Banks' sultry voice, "Drowning" quickly becomes another Banks song that boasts a remarkably dynamic structure. She follows the pretty standard verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, outro formula, but sonically, "Drowning" is the latest in a string of Banks songs that co-opts EDM sounds while throwing out that genre's cut-and-paste approach to composition. It's also awesome how the staccato vocal samples that back up Banks for most of the song sound very similar to those found on Laurie Anderson's avant-garde 1981 hit "O Superman." "Drowning" is the sound of pop and experimental music meeting in the middle, and somehow not shooting away from each other like two positively-charged magnets.

Head over to Banks' Zumic artist page for more of her music, videos and news. Check out the lyrics to "Drowning" below.

Banks "Drowning" lyrics:

You tried to lie, I can see that you don't need me
(That you don't need me, that you don't need me)
All of your words, they have been cursed with dishonesty
(With dishonesty, with dishonesty)

[Pre-Chorus]
Take it from the girl you claimed to love
You gonna get some bad karma
I'm the one who had to learn to build a heart made of armor
From the girl who made you soup and tied your shoes when you were hurting
You are not deserving, you are not deserving

[Chorus]
I can see that you wanted me cold
You're so bold, why you're watching me moan?

You tried to hide, I can see that you don't see me
(that you don't see me, that you don't see me)
What do you gain by the names that you're calling me
(That you're calling me, that you're calling me)

[Pre-Chorus]

(Cause I'm drowning for ya)
I can see that you wanting it cold
You're so bold, why you're watching me moan?

[Bridge]
Holding it up
Like you can pull me down
Cause I'm drowning for ya
(Cause I'm drowning for ya)
Cause I'm drowning for ya

[Outro](4x)
Can you follow me up to the water?
You can show me the sinking deeper
Let me know
Cause I'm drowning for ya

Source: Banks Official SoundCloud Page