Tirzah — "Hive Mind"

Last year, If you asked me to name my least favorite album, I would’ve told you Tirzah’s Colourgrade. Though critically acclaimed, I absolutely did not get it, like it, or ever want to hear it again. I tried to like it several times in several different mediums, but to no avail.

Earlier this year, after several friends unpromptedly sent me various tracks from the album, I decided to give it another shot. Though I’m not in love with the album by any stretch, there are a few songs on it I can’t seem to let go.

“Hive Mind” was, at first listen, pretty lazy and uninspiring. I not only didn’t “get” it, I waved it off. Yet after sitting down over the summer and listening to it on a loop, I suddenly found it to be hypnotizing and unforgettable. The guest vocals by Cobey Sey often trail that of Tirzah’s, repeating “minds do” in the same way that hive-minded individuals follow the leader. It’s a smart, sparse track that takes time to reveal its brilliance but rewards the listener with an off-kilter and inescapable ear worm.