Minneapolis artist and producer student 1 is back with a chaotic, introspective new single called “pissing myself,” alongside a fast-paced DIY visual that captures the track’s restless energy. Check out the new video and the full press release below.
student 1 Works Towards Maturity on “Pissing Myself”
Minneapolis-based artist and producer student 1 takes stock of his life so far on hazy, fast-paced track “pissing myself” out now with a matching video. The artist’s fourth record truant arrives June 19 and is available for pre-save now. The forthcoming introspective project by student 1 is a raw, experimental exploration of the difficult, messy parts–feeling absent, distracted and avoidant–while continuing the search for joy, freedom and hope.
student 1 will embark on a U.S. tour this summer with Philadelphia-based rapper Ghais Guevara including Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, three Texas dates and more. The official album release show is set for release day, June 19, at Chicago’s Bookclub with punk band Champions and support from hip-hop artist CRASHprez. See a full list of dates below and find tickets here.
With a frenetic yet controlled energy, student 1 glides through the track as he moves towards a more realized version of himself. The artist explains, “‘pissing myself’ is about taking a big step back to examine who I’ve become and where it’s led me, for a final evaluation of everything before I start working toward becoming a more mature person.” Recalling the recording process, he adds, “I made it while somebody came into the studio and pissed himself on my manager’s bean bag chair.”
The track was painstakingly completed as student 1 was learning to mix and master, so there are 29 versions of it. He playfully adds, “There’s a very ‘pissing myself’ energy about that to me. Like if mixing was pissing, I just kept pissing.”
The “pissing myself” video brings viewers into the artist’s process. student 1 adds, “A lot of the footage is either in areas where a lot of work gets done, or places where we usually kick it. I’ve wanted to do guerilla-style videos like this for a long time so I’m really glad Justus was so down to work towards that.” Matching the track’s energy, he says, “it’s very fast paced and scattered, while also paying special homage to the ancillary moments of making this song in particular.”
On the nostalgic, DIY video, director Justus Louisiana says, “‘Pissing Myself presented itself at a time when my love for photography and video needed to come alive again. It was shot on camcorder and a lot of fun, just for the sake of creating.”
Entirely written, mixed and mastered by student 1, the twelve tracks on truant focus on personal, specific moments of aimlessness, feeling mentally absent, avoidance, and addiction, and how these moments inform who he’s become in both good and bad ways, while additionally feeling like the dysfunction these moments create is part of something bigger. Co-production credits include YUSF, LEEszn, and dog owner man.
It was during the making of the project that the artist dug himself out of a creative funk. student 1 shares, “It’s inspired by the problems these moments create and have created (as well as the desire to solve them), the headspace I was in, drugs, and not being able to articulate important feelings and thoughts. There isn’t a substantial focus on this aspect outside of some subtle mentions, but I do mention the loss of a parent, as my father passed away during the making of the album.”
Taking its name from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, the album’s lead single “kevinkevinkevin” featuring Minneapolis artist Demon Marcus explores dissociation, disillusionment and being misunderstood. Over a bright, funky groove, the lyrics comment on judgement from others and wonder if things really are the way they seem.
POW Magazine wrote the track, “..glows and grooves across gossamer funk…’kevinkevinkevin’ is music for tandem dissociation.” Music N Gear added, “There isn’t a note wrong in this from start to finish; this sits somewhere between blissful nostalgia and a summer evening daydream.”
student 1 is an Ethiopian-Eritrean Minneapolis-based artist whose music blends melody and experimental production to explore his inner and outer worlds and profound topics like addiction, grief and mental health. Now, he’s gearing up to expand his sonic palette with his fourth project. In 2018, he shared his debut project, drag, and followed up the following year with his sophomore album, UPPRCLSSMN which features “YIN/YANG,” a trip-hop, chilled-out collaboration with critically acclaimed rapper and singer, Tierra Whack.
In 2022, he shared OFFTHEDUST!, mixed by collaborator, engineer and artist Alex Tumay (Drake, Travis Scott, Metro Boomin, 21 Savage), followed by an instrumental version. Known for his versatility, he has amassed millions of global streams and garnered attention from The Current, Star Tribune, and Lyrical Lemonade. student 1 has performed hundreds of times on stages around the country, including SXSW, Soundset, Afropunk, and First Avenue’s 7th St Entry. Now, the musician prepares to share his most honest work to date alongside a summer-long tour.
student 1 aims for maturity on playful track “pissing myself” out now. The artist’s fourth record truant is due out June 19, available to pre-save now. Don’t miss student 1 live this summer with Ghais Guevara and connect via Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
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