Ever since she mercilessly tore down the Letterman stage with “Tightrope” in 2010—Diddy falling at her feet, Letterman kissing her hand worshipfully—Janelle Monáe has seemed like a self-styled perfection machine. In her tensely coiled body language, you could sense a determination powerful enough to power a city grid. She’s a marvel to behold, but it's also a relief when she relaxes, like on her new single “Float.”
Fittingly, “Float” is a paean to….not trying too hard, and as Monae’s jaw unclenches, a shit-eating grin emerges. In the best sense, the song feels like a one-take freestyle, complete with a teasing hook (“I don’t walk, now I float”), easeful switch-ups between singing and rapping, and some endearingly clunky bars (“I done had several epiphanies/Over some breakfast at Tiffany’s”) thrown out over heavy-lidded 808s and oozing brass from Seun Kuti and Egypt 80. There’s nothing at stake in this song, nothing to prove, just the sound of a top-tier talent doing a little victory dance.