The party starter himself Andrew W. K. is back with his first new song in three years, “Babalon”.
Mr. Wilkes-Krier broke out in 2001 with his debut album I Get Wet, and then lorded over the aughts with his upbeat rock presence. By the time of his solo piano turn, 2009’s 55 Cadillac, it was clear that W.K. had lost some of the delight he used to find in furiously fun music. He spent some time dawdling around film and TV sets, playing roles with names such as “Crazy Hobo” and “Rip Stick”, and hosted the live-action Cartoon Network game show Destroy Build Destroy. In 2018, he made his triumphant return to powerhouse rock on You’re Not Alone. With “Babalon”, he’s cemented his comeback.
The track is everything fans have come to love, with thunderous drums, ripping metal guitars, and lyrics that traffic in evil even as they express an unbridled joy in existence. Through repeated calls to “Regenerate,” or “Annihilate,” it’s clear that W.K. is having fun again.
The song comes with a music video directed by Phem C. Palmer. It starts with the text, “Due to his strong personally caused psychological disassociation, Andrew W.K. wishes that this video in no way endorses a belief in evil,” and ends with the note, “Consciousness hasn’t opened reality, only nightmares. Zone-out now.” In-between, we see Wilkes-Krier playing every instrument intercut with skulls, 3-D glasses, chess boards, and spinning yin-yang symbols. “What does it all mean,” is a question only a fool would ask; it is cool as hell, and that is enough. Check out “Babalon” below.