Two stars.
After their debut album Schlagenheim received critical acclaim for its inventive and experimental sound, many were understandably excited for black midi to release new music. Many were also not likely to be expecting an Ed Sheeran diss track, but that’s what ‘ded sheeran’ sells itself as. So obviously there’s a lot to unpack here.
The track as a whole is absurd and weird, combining a chaotic assortment of sounds and samples – most notably of Britney Spears – in addition to vocals all lost in what is probably an intentionally poorly mixed track. Rhythmic synth arpeggios start the track and glitchy vocals start the track, before it transitions to a slightly off kilter club song. More random retro sounding snares are sprinkled in before they arrive at the actual diss. black midi then proceed to call Sheeran’s music “doodoo” and Sheeran himself a “sellout”, alongside a bizarre anecdote about him stealing someone’s drumsticks. It’s hard to give a sensical review to a band that are so clearly goofing around on the track, and while the glitch pop elements are interesting, the track is too messy to feel like a song at all, even if just a joke.
Image: Dan Kendall via Loud and Quiet