Premiere: Ivan Ave's "Running Shoes" Is A Psychedelic Rap Dream

"Lace up / pick your pace up"

Ivan Ave (credit: Håkon Gleditch)
Publicist

Image via Publicist. Photography: Håkon Gleditch

Ivan Ave (credit: Håkon Gleditch)

Coming to us all the way from Oslo, Norway, Ivan Ave is here with a slow-burning rap tune to wind down the summer. The beat, which comes courtesy of Los Angeles-based producers Kiefer Shackelford and Like, sounds like the kind of psychedelic West Coast jam that Kendrick or even Anderson .Paak would jump at the chance to rhyme over. It is subtle, understated, and the perfect counterpart to Ivan Ave's lyrics that essentially revolve around him running away from various problems.

"Tryna write about some real shit; right now, I just need to not feel shit", Ivan says at one point, as he gives thanks to the running shoes that help him escape. Still, it's by no means a downer, rather an ideal post-summer soundtrack to guide you back from hedonism to the real world, with a detour along the way of course.

"Running Shoes" is taken from Ivan Ave's upcoming album, Every Eye (release date TBC), via Jakarta Records. Listen to the song exclusively below.

Latest in Music