WATCH: Death Grips “Inanimate Sensation” video from Jenny Death/The Powers That B

Sacramento experimental noise rap outfit, Death Grips has made a habit of keeping their fanbase on their toes.  In fact, we first discovered their debut mixtape, Exmilitary, a little less than a month after it originally appeared as a random download for a random project on their random website, and, at the time, we didn’t even know who was in the group yet.  After signing a major label deal with Epic Records and releasing their first official studio album, The Money Store, in 2012, they went on to drop the followup, No Love Deep Web for free via their website and social media outlets with a cryptic, yet minimal, heads up provided throughout the day, leading up to the leak.  That now-infamous event went on to see the trio successfully booted from the label.  A little over a year later, the next album arrived in similar fashion.  Released in November of last year and accompanied by a separate video for each of its 11 tracks, Government Plates, more or less, came out of the blue –it’s official announcement was actually accompanied with the download link.  They became predictably unpredictable, but when they announced that they were breaking up in June with the image of a message written in ink on a tattered paper napkin, that didn’t mean that people weren’t disappointed — among them being Trent Reznor, whose major tour with Soundgarden they had been scheduled to open for.  But even when Death Grips “breaks up,” it isn’t exactly a clean amputation; like a phantom limb, their sensation has continued to be felt.

There hasn’t appeared to be any discernible loss of interest in the grimy Sac-Town troupe, since they made their retirement plans public this summer; in fact, their popularity has only increased, if anything.  Shortly afterward, a vinyl copy of Exmilitary sold on ebay for $800 (I purchased my own sealed copy for only about $20, when they initially went on sale).  A physical release for Government Plates also recently hit the shelves on Black Friday in the form of a limited edition vinyl pressing for Record Store Day, and they continue to hover upwards around the $200 territory in the resale market themselves.  [If anyone reading this really wants to get that loose with their change, you can go ahead and have my copy right now].

Less than a month before announcing their choice to dissolve the project, the group released a collection of 8 more tracks for free under the title of Niggas On The Moon.  These songs featured the vocal stylings of Icelandic songstress, Björk integrated and woven into them in a manner that was less than obvious.  At that time, it was explained that the digital offering was actually only just the first half of their upcoming release titled, The Powers That B.  The news of the breakup was accompanied with the consolation that this new album would still be finished and released as planned, although it would be their final effort.  Just like with part 1/Niggas On The Moon, disc 2 of the double-album will also have it’s own title and cover art, as well.  The image of the hologram-like Marilyn Monroe-esque artwork for what is now known to be titled Jenny Death, has been burned into the minds of those heavily anticipating the release, for some time now, but unlike the case with Niggas On The Moon, no one had yet to hear the actual music for the second half of the LP.  Keep in mind that, although Death Grips fans have become accustomed to waiting for the trio to come back through their towns after abruptly canceling dates, or simply to reappear after going missing to the point where their own publicist can even track them down, not to mention waiting for physical releases, they’ve still become somewhat accustomed to the luxury of hearing the music almost as immediately as they’ve heard about its existence, over the last 2 years.

On October 10th, the Death Grips Facebook page lurked out of hibernation to present the cover art for the The Powers That B, announce that the album had been finished, and that “digital and physical release dates” would be “coming soon.”  Meanwhile, the inquiry of “Jenny Death when” continues to be posted across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

#JennyDeathWhen

To that question, we still don’t have an answer, but with the band’s latest post, things are finally beginning to move forward tonight…

NEW SONG NEW VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inanimate Sensation – Disc 2 – Jenny Death
From the upcoming double album “The Powers That B”