Prince dropped a new song "This Could B Us" off the forthcoming album HITNRUN exclusively on Jay Z's music streaming service Tidal. This is the third early released single from the pop star's new album, following the release of "HARDROCKLOVER" and "Stare."
According to Complex. The nearly identically named song "This Could Be Us" appeared on Prince's previous album Art Official Age, and the new single is a revamp of that previous song.
The densely layered song uses a smooth mix of synths and keys to float atop the pulsing drums and bass below. The Art Official Age version felt more like the theme to a cheesy '80s teen drama, where the new version sounds much more modern in terms of incorporating the ambient house music techniques of today's producers. Maybe this is emblematic of what to expect from the album as a whole.
Could Prince be moving in a more progressive, modern direction than we've seen from him in recent years?
For many music fans, sadly this music is largely unavailable to them due to the Purple artist's exclusivity on Tidal. The streaming service claims to have accumulated 100,000 subscribers according to a report by the New York Post back in April. Tidal was always meant as a niche market, but with 11 million subscribers trying out Apple Music in its first three months and Spotify leading the industry with 20 million paid subscribers with 50 million using the free tier of the service, it's hard to imagine Tidal's small reach giving artists any chance to break out with a hit.
Of course a big name like Prince doesn't need to get the word out, but it's a shame to know only 100,000 people will be able to listen to HITNRUN when it comes out Sept. 7.
Listen to the song's teaser below as well as the audio from his Art Official Age version released last year.
