P.O.S: "Bumper"

This morning delivered one of the best possible surprises with the official lead single to P.O.S's upcoming album, We Don't Even Live Here, due on October 23. I'm pretty sure I've seen "Bumper" played live once or twice — I've definitely heard the brilliant "They on some nonsense, we on some nonstop" hook before — but getting to dissect the studio version is exciting as it hints at what we can expect from the album, which you can read about further on in this post.



"Bumper" is a crushing single. The track almost plays out as a blending of various local sonic influences. It's one part propulsive drumming a la Poliça, with some Marijuana Deathsquads-esque bass and electro grime slathered on top. The fantastic live version, featured below courtesy of Pitchfork.tv and MPLS.tv's City of Music series, also includes Get Cryphy's Plain Ole Bill, who has been a staple of P.O.S's live show for at least a few of years now.

Then there's P.O.S's raps. He sounds confident in a way we may not have seen before. Check some of his opening lines: "Pushing my own limits / I make it better / Ain't no one touching my future / Ain't no one fuck with my old shit yet." Later on, P.O.S breaks down the false posturing of major label rappers and the idiocy of rap's obsession with stunting in the midst of a national economic recession. Watch the live version below, and check P.O.S's self-assured stare and smirk during the line "They front so hard, them fuckers, they can't even look in my eyes." P.O.S hit the mark with "Bumpers," and he knows it. This, along with other awesome songs like "Fuck Your Stuff" and "Get Down," bode well for We Don't Even Live Here.

A few other notable points about the album: it will feature guest spots from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, German DJs Boyz Noise & Housemeister, Ryan Olson of GAYNGS, Innerpartysystem’s Patric Russel, and members of Doomtree. There are extensive pre-order options, which are better laid out at Fifth Element. Check those out. Once again, We Don't Even Live Here will be out October 23. Get ready.