Boots and Sia Take a “Ride Ride Ride”: Listen

Many of the collaborators that helped bring Beyoncé’s monolithic, still searing new record Beyoncé to life were known quantities long before working with the pop titan, whether they were superstars in their own right (Drake, Justin Timberlake) or songwriting power players (Sia, Ryan Tedder). And then there was Boots, a writer/producer who appeared on over half the album’s tracks and seemingly materialized out of nowhere. A few months after the album’s release, Boots is still a rather mysterious character: save an interview with Pitchfork and a few tracks on a SoundCloud page, he’s remained in the shadows, making music and biding his time.

One thing’s for sure: if Boots continues to write and release songs like the new “Ride Ride Ride,” his days as a private figure are numbered. A sultry, spacious ballad with a growling sample of a voicemail message from the aforementioned Sia tucked into the background, the song lives on the interplay between a percolating, constantly shifting rhythmic layer and Boots’ own rich, versatile vocals. Fans of the sensual, complex R&B at Beyoncé’s core should gird their loins; they’re going to be drunk in love with this one.