BANKS is back since her first single since pre-pandemic. “The Devil” is the first single from her upcoming fourth studio album and is out today. “The Devil” follows the R&B singer’s full-length album, III, in 2019 and her 2020 EP Live and Stripped. The release of this single via AWAL is just a taste of what is coming next for the singer.
“The Devil” encompasses a malevolent nature finding BANKS whispering throughout the track in a very haunting way. She inaugurates the song with a whispery tone, “I’m the devil and I speed with the pedal on the gas, and I think I like the fa-ha-ha-ha. I’m the devil, did they tell you I’m the devil? Put your faith in another life past.” As the song picks up, a poignant bass line drives home the song coupled with hard-hitting synthesizers and cutting harmonies layered one on top of the other.
The release of this unconventionally sinister-pop track coincides with the release of the song’s eerie music video. Co-directed by BANKS and NY + LA-based creative director Jenna Marsh, the music video draws inspiration from the Coppola classic Dracula and classic film Death Becomes Her starring Meryl Streep and Bruce Willis.
BANKS talks about the release of the music video, “This video represents the twisted, surreal, and playful world that I exist in as the devil,” said BANKS. “No demon can touch me as I am not tempted by their charm. Give me a rose and I’ll eat it. In this world, I hypnotize and stuff every demon in a box while I dance, fly, and play with my devil sisters. Someone write my new name down.”
