The album has echoes of both Chance the Rapper and Bruno Mars, but more than anything it reminded me of Timberlake himself, which makes the aggressively arcadian PR strategy even more confusing.
Filthy, the lead single, is tried-and-true dance-pop Supplies, a video for which was released this morning, is more of the same, with a funky, futuristic beat and a catchy chorus. The music itself sounds diametrically opposed to its own promotion, which has nonetheless inspired some very amusing memes invoking Timberlake’s all-denim outfit at the 2001 American Music Awards. Timberlake, predictably wearing a jean jacket and camouflage pants, briefly introduced the album and its nominal inspirations before it played at what the singer called “an unspeakable volume”. This time, though, the sponsor was American Express, and cowboy hats were exchanged for termite-themed hors d’oeuvres.
The whole thing reminded me of Lady Gaga’s rollout for Joanne – her own supposedly radical rebrand – which was sponsored by Bud Light and featured lots of cowboy hats. Part of the proceeds from the ticket sales benefited the National Parks Foundation, and there was a photo-booth featuring a log cabin and a fake gilded taxidermy. Timberlake told us as much at last night’s listening session, where cellphones were prohibited and vinyls fashioned to look like tree bark distributed.
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