Hawthorne heartthrob Cuco is spinning songs out of stardust again, and this time he’s taking a little astral inspiration from The Beatles. His new song “Lucy” draws from the 1967 classic “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” but the 19-year-old adds his laidback swag and shows off his rapping skills more intently than on some of his recent tracks.
“Lucy” starts off in classic Cuco fashion: hazy, lo-fi production; a minimal trap beat; a wave of washed-out vocals. But eventually, a distant, singsongy chorus builds up and gives Cuco a chance to go harder with more explicit, tough-talking rhymes as the song unfolds. While the delivery remains of the stoned slacker kid variety, his flow come through in a grittier way, helped in part by a forceful verse from LA rapper J-Kwe$t. And, although the track ends up feeling darker and moodier than some of Cuco’s usual teen-dream themes, it’s still firmly planted in his woozy world of smoke and nostalgia.
We’ve already been counting down to Cuco’s EP Chiquito, which will finally be out on May 4. Already, the few tracks he’s given us all play with different sides of the leisurely, DIY sounds he’s working with: “CR-V” was a bouncy ode to car rides; “Sunnyside” was an off-kilter love song that reinforced his sensitive side. “Lucy” is a trippier swatch that has us ready for more.