Arguably no fourth-quarter 2018 releases feel anywhere near as essential as Grimes' excellent "We Appreciate Power."
Monday night, fittingly, Grimes brought a slightly condensed version of the track's well-orchestrated dystopian ponderings to a stage where those who need to hear it most will be inadvertently introduced to its appreciated power: one of the Jimmys' late-night programs.
In a statement released alongside the HANA-assisted track back in November, Grimes credited some of its inspiration to North Korean band Moranbong. Written from a pro-artificial intelligence "Girl Group Propaganda machine," the song—per a subsequent Grimes tweet—also marks an inability to "decipher the line between trolling [us] and actually trying to make sure I’m not tortured by vengeful future AI."
Grimes' most recent studio full-length was Art Angels, the 2015 critically acclaimed album that featured "Flesh Without Blood" and ultimately landed on damn near every year-end list. In that spirit, it's hard to imagine "We Appreciate Power" not making plenty of year-end appearances in the coming days.
