Song of the Day: Poliça - Still Counts (feat. Spank Rock)

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Still Counts (feat. Spank Rock)” by Poliça, from their 2017 single, Lipstick Stains/Still Counts, on Memphis Industries.

Poliça - Still Counts (feat. Spank Rock) (MP3)Minneapolis-based Poliça is no stranger to electronic distortion. Since their 2012 debut, Give You The Ghost, vocalist Channy Leaneagh has been mystifying listeners with her inhuman, nearly digital voice. Bassist Chris Bierden, drummers Ben Ivascu and Drew Christopherson, along with producer Ryan Olson round out the rhythm section of group, and for this year’s Record Store Day, they teamed up with Hamburg’s Boyz Noize and Baltimore’s Spank Rock to release an electronic, two-track single.

The latter of the two, “Still Counts (feat. Spank Rock)," seems to sit in the fourth dimension, reaching an otherworldly sound. Spank Rock’s Naaem Juwan captures it best in the lyric, “Remember when there were only three dimensions? Neither do I.” A grinding, industrial beat drones in the background, as Leaneagh and Juwan’s voices combine to create an alien sound. As drums kick in and the beat rises, the repetition of the hook quickens, amping up the intensity before reaching the breaking point. Leaneagh’s voice then morphs into a heavenly pitch in the chorus before Juwan joins back in, and the two’s vocals mutate from singing together, to calling to each other, to eventually becoming irreversibly intertwined.

Poliça just played the inaugural Upstream Music Festival here in Pioneer Square in May, but be sure to keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for any new dates. For now, check out the video for the A-side of the single, “Lipstick Stains (feat. Boyz Noize)":