Six years is one hell of a hiatus. When Mike Skinner, better known by his recording moniker, The Streets, last released music, grime was still categorized as a subgenre of hip-hop, the UK was still very much a part of the European Union, and across the pond, Wiz Khalifa’s Black & Yellow was blowing up the charts. How times have changed.

 

The Streets seems to have changed too. Though coming through with the classic, steadfast, spoken word delivery that has always defined his music, the emotional, sometimes soft attitude that we’ve come to expect has been completely reversed. New single Burn Bridges, as you can probably guess by the title, is no fun-loving stroll through a wild night, or a sympathetic callout to those who have lost love, but rather, a dark, unapologetic message with modern low-fi production to match.

 

It’s a refreshing release from an old artist that never expected would so effortlessly blend into a music scene very changed since he was last a part of it. Could this mean more to come? We hope so.