There's Gonna Be (Good Times) (feat. Young Thug & Popcaan)
When looking over the tracklist for Jamie xx‘s upcoming album, the Young Thug and Popcaan feature was by far the most intriguing, unexpected inclusion. A little over a week ago, a leak of the far-out collab, featuring only Thug’s contribution, hit the Interwebs and it had all the makings of a summer anthem. The leak was swiftly removed from most major websites, but today we’re blessed with the final version of the song.
Jamie xx crafts an incredibly bright, and uncharacteristic, backdrop for Young Thug and Popcaan utilizing his signature steel drums and yet another masterfully placed soul sample echoing “I know there’s gonna be good times.” Popcaan’s perfected dancehall crooning opens things before Thugger’s playful, melodic flow takes over flawlessly, matching the instrumental’s overwhelmingly positive, bright energy. Popcaan seamlessly takes back over between Thug’s verses and handles the outro before it fades into the infectious sample. This is, in our minds, one of the best songs to come out this year and we’ll be jamming out to it as we wait for the release of In Colour on June 2nd–pre order here.
Although this collaboration might come as a surprise to many, Jamie alluded to becoming a big fan of Young Thug while he was living in New York in a recent interview with XXL and, based on how perfect the combo sounds, he seems to have a true grasp of exactly what it is that makes Thug’s music so strangely addicting. It’s yet another testament not only to Jamie xx’s production abilities, but also his keen ear as a DJ developed through his immense, diverse musical knowledge.
