Putty Boy Strut

by: Joseph Johnson

After the release of the sublime short film, Until the Quiet Comes, a couple of weeks ago, Flying Lotus is back with another taster from his forthcoming album. This time it’s a more conventional audio/visual offering in the form of “Putty Boy Strut.” Well, conventional might not be the best way to describe it.

From the start it sounds like Fly-Lo has been experimenting with some old games consoles, as computerised sounds play off against a constant clapped beat. Then, more melodious elements are worked in, until about halfway into the track when Thundercat’s glorious bass takes centre-stage. Being Flying Lotus, he manages to seamlessly blend these quirky elements where others might fail, or not even try in the first place.

Jazzy, electronic, weird and wonderful, the track needed something special in the visuals department to set it off and Cyriak’s animation is just the ticket. The video is like a lo-fi version of Wall-E, with robots building and destroying a futuristic urban landscape. If we are hearing the inner-workings of Fly-Lo’s brain in the track, then the video is definitely an exploration into Cyriak’s brilliant mind.

With the short film and now this track/video, Fly-Lo keeps raising the levels of anticipation for the Until The Quiet Comes LP. From these earlier indicators, diversity and creativity are in abundance and it looks like we’re in for a unique treat. Roll on October.