The Singles Jukebox

Pop, to two decimal places.

Mustard & Migos – Pure Water

Mustard and water! Two great tastes that… oh never mind.


[Video][Website]
[6.33]

David Sheffieck: Migos do well enough here I guess but it’s the beat that sticks with me, a naggingly instant earworm that Mustard turns into magic. A loop this short should get old quick, but he keeps it constantly in motion — in conversation with the rappers, in reaction to itself, stuttering and pitchshifted but never losing momentum. It could make any group sound fresh again.
[8]

Thomas Inskeep: The best Migos single since “Motorsport,” but this one doesn’t have any guests, and doesn’t need ’em. This could easily be the lead single off Culture III, with the Migos tripping their tongues over Mustard’s distinctive beat. For whatever reason, their raise their games when they’re together, so less solo joints and more Migos joints, please.
[6]

Julian Axelrod: At this point every Migos verse sounds exactly like the ten before it, although it’s nice to hear them on the same track after their individual semesters abroad. Luckily Mustard brings a new shade to his signature bounce, juicing his 808s with a shrieking synth that sounds like a bird crashing into a mixing board. He’s lively enough to shake the Migos out of their stupor, even if they don’t return the favor.
[6]

Alfred Soto: That insistent wheeze-whistle, pulled and squished like fresh chewing gum, renders Migos irrelevant — imagine Mariah Carey or Cardi B against it instead of Migos dropping refs to big bad bitches.
[6]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: It’s fine, but nothing could possibly live up to those first ten seconds. Quavo’s initial “UH!” is sublime, perfectly accenting the sample’s octave switch. A song best suited for TikTok.
[5]

Iris Xie: “Pure Water” is nostalgic comfort food that is slightly updated. There are three simple ingredients here: first, a winding, squealing whirr that sounds like a throwback to both crunk and reggaeton, and second, little huff and puff ad-libs that are homages to silly and punctuated West Coast ad-libs (thanks E-40, I hear it especially in the “ice ice ice” ad-lib). There is also a bassline which vibrates through your chest and would spur me to seek a medical check-up because it bounces so hard, but I love how it is well-engineered for properly calibrated subwoofers and will actually be heard through several walls of a house party. Additionally, my favorite part about Migos is that they’re so effortless and in sync with their ad-libbing, making use of the fact that they’re not just one rapper, they’re a unit, which adds a heightened sense of dynamics and energy to the track. I thought party music like this died; this is proper stuff, when mixed with good company and intoxicants of choice. 
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