The Age Of Pleasure

About

“No, I'm not the same/I think I done changed,” Janelle Monáe raps with a swagger on “Float,” the opener for her fourth LP, <i>The Age of Pleasure</i>. Over powerful brass—courtesy of Seun Kuti and Egypt 80—and heavy-lidded 808, the singer-songwriter introduces listeners to another side of herself where she embraces the present. “Those lyrics for 'Float,' I was like, I have to put this out now,” she tells Apple Music. “This is exactly, how do I honor how I'm feeling and who I am now. I'm not thinking about the future, but right now, because this is all we have right now.” Where Monáe's previous records were character-driven—set in a complex futuristic world filled with androids—and explored themes about power, race, and humanity, <i>The Age of Pleasure</i> highlights a new era of liberation that sheds her Afrofuturist persona in favor of an unmasked exploration of her own sensuality and deservedness to feel good above all else. Monáe creates a safe space within the album's 14 tracks where people can relax into themselves and express their queer identitie, sexuality, and unapologetic Blackne. “We had an Everyday People Wondaland party, and I was like, <i>Oh, this is who I want to make music for</i>,” she say. “This moment right here, I want to make the soundtrack to this lifestyle. They get it. This is what we fight to protect. All of my work that centers around protecting my communities that I'm a part of, from the LGBTQIA+ communities to being Black to all of that.” <i>The Age of Pleasure</i> is a love letter to the Pan-African diaspora. Monáe trades in her previous albums' New Wave indie-electronic beats for an effortless fusion of jazz, dancehall, reggae, trap, and Afrobeat. The first half features tightly produced jazz- and funk-inspired tempos and rhythms over which she flexes her accomplishments (“Champagne Shit”) and proudly celebrates herself (“Float,” “Phenomenal,” “Haute”). The album's second half switches gears with midtempo, reggae-influenced sounds and Monáe indulging her carnal desire. “I like lipstick on my neck/Hands around my waist so you know what's coming next/I wanna feel your lips on mine/I just wanna feel/A little tongue, we don't have a long time,” she sings on “Lipstick Lover,” a seductive, summery groove that is a joyous celebration of queer Black sexual liberation. She uses water metaphors to underscore her euphoric pleasure-seeking on “The Rush” and “Water Slide,” while “Only Have Eyes 42” is an ode to polyamory, with more than one lover at the center of Monáe's affection. .

via Apple Music

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