Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty
Even if you’re a die-hard fan, you probably haven’t thought about the Shins in a while — probably not since they released their last album, Heartworms, in 2017, or more generously, since they toured their debut album Oh, Inverted World, a few years ago. But don’t worry, because the once indie rock darlings have still been on someone’s mind. That would be Azealia Amanda Banks, who cannot shake the idea that Taylor Swift should work with Shins leader James Mercer. After telling a fan her favorite Swift song on X (“Shake It Off”), Banks pivoted into career-advice mode. “I think she should drop Ant Jackinoff and work with James Mercer from the Shins and Feist,” she wrote. “I’d like it more if she had that Michelle branch pop rock production /anna nalick sultryness.”
I like shake it off but tbh i actually really don’t resonate with alot of Taylor swift music. I think she should drop Ant Jackinoff and work with James Mercer from the Shins and Feist. I’d like it more if she had that Michelle branch pop rock production /anna nalick sultryness.… https://t.co/VHGR2uD23I
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) October 2, 2024
First, we must take a moment to honor the artistry of “Ant Jackinoff.”
Okay. Now that’s a pretty random assortment of mid-2000s singer-songwriters, and come on, can you name an Anna Nalick song besides “Breathe (2AM)”? But Mercer seems to be occupying a bit more space in Banks’s psyche than the rest — a phantom limb, if you will. See, last year, during Swift’s fling with Matty Healy, Banks first floated the idea that she should “tap” Mercer instead. “Ugh, so many much cooler People in music to work with,” Banks wrote on an Instagram Story, though it’s unclear if she was implying Swift should do more with Mercer, who is 53 and married. Regardless, Banks did shed a bit more light back then on why she’s so into the “New Slang” singer, calling him “honestly one of the best lyricists ever.” And this is coming from someone who never even lived in Brooklyn!
Now, it doesn’t seem like Mercer collaborates too widely outside the Shins, unless you’re an artist with Mouse in their name. And Swift might already be out of her indie-rock era. But come to think of it, you know who we really want to hear work with James Mercer? Azealia Banks. Someone get these two into the same room already.
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