This past weekend, Joy Crookes released her debut LP Skin, a 13-track body of work that has already received critical acclaim from many of your favorite publications. The project was led by the heartfelt title track, as well as the equally dope cuts “When You Were Mine” and a re-imagining of Crookes’ Influence EP standout “Power.”
Yesterday (Oct. 18), the South London songstress liberated another visual from Skin for the Blue May-produced “Trouble,” which sounds like an ode to love that’s true, yet also a bit toxic:
“Bass turn up, can’t hear what we say, speakers are talking, maybe we can tolerate, cut deep when we play, you’re at your best when I’m in my worst way, heat’s rising, stay silent, can we stop trouble-mining? We act like the wildest, really, we’re the same, don’t know why we try to hide it…”
The video for “Trouble” comes courtesy of Nono Ayuso and sees a well-armored Crookes in what appears to be the Middle Ages, complete with a castle and army of knights surrounding her. Throughout the clip, we see her playing chess, being explicably tied to a stake, and chasing down — and eventually defeating — a fellow swordsman while others look on. It looks like the kind of clip that Crookes and her team had a lot of fun bringing to life.
In related news, Joy Crookes has recently teamed up with Timbaland for their “My Community, Our Nature” campaign, which (as seen via its official website) is focused on creating green spaces and enhance communities “where local people can gather and unite to achieve their shared goals.” Specifically, Crookes is the ambassador for the InSpire Youth Club, an Elephant & Castle-based organization that both acts as a safe space and provides creative arts-based workshops — you can check out more of this here.
Press play on “Trouble.”