Earlier this year, Lynks (who describes themselves as the "best musician in the entire world") released the explosive single, "Silly Boy," and now the queer provocateur is following that up with a mellow come down: "Hey Joe (Relax)" off a newly announced trilogy, titled MEN, due out April 1.
Where "Silly Boy" is in-your-face and unapologetic, the second part of MEN settles into an electronic dance groove that plays off self-care tropes as a way to talk about a shitty "shag." In a gentle voice, they tell "Joe" to "relax, sit down for a minute," before swiftly telling him off: "Yeah, this is my house and I don't want you in it."
"'Hey Joe (Relax)' is about bringing a guy you’ve been dating to meet your friends and suddenly clocking that he’s a complete twat," Lynks says. "It’s about the moment where your entire perspective about a man shifts and you see him for what he is: a devil’s advocating, button pushing, confrontational, edge lord — and it's suddenly totally unthinkable that you ever wanted to shag him."
The Theo Watkins-directed music video leans into our culture of Goop-y at-home exercises in personal improvement. Buy a houseplant! Take a bath! Phone a friend!Give yourself a massage! Lynks ultimately finds "modern self-care really annoying," they say. "Brands telling you if you buy their £9.99 monthly subscription you'll be 'investing in your mental health.' Like what the fuck? It's so uncomfortable."
For the visual, Lynks wanted to "channel the nasty-ness of that whole world" by zeroing in on the song's satirical relaxation themes and pushing them "to a place of deep discomfort." In addition to Watkins, Lynks worked with set designer Molly Crisp, DOP Jamie Harding and stylist Adam Martin, which they describe as the "absolute dream team." For Lynks, "It was honestly one of the most fun shoots" they've ever been on.
In 2022, Lynks will embark on their biggest headline tour to date (tickets available here), in addition to joining Metronomy on select dates during the band's European tour. Until the next and final single off MEN arrives, dive into Lynks' latest, below, as they assume the role of a "sardonic and demented" self-help guru. As you could expect, everything ends in absolute chaos — particularly when the recommendation for juicing arrives.
Photos courtesy of Adam Martin