Earlier this spring, Grimes began dropping hints about a forthcoming album titled Psy Opera, a name that feels perfectly aligned with the artist’s brand. She described Psy Opera as a concept record exploring the possibility of human extinction at the hands of AI, while also arguing that humans aren’t as inferior as some AI enthusiasts claim. Although she has long been fascinated by AI, she clarified that she does not use generative AI in her music, including this AI-inspired project. This week she revealed that a team of 70 people contributed to the trailer she released on Wednesday, a project that spanned many months. She did acknowledge using Deepseek to craft lyrics for a song about Deepseek.
Here’s how she explained it at the time:
She noted that many people talk as if they’re building gods. “Why assume you automatically constitute something lesser?” she asked. “You’re literally responsible for creating AI. By acting as if AI operates without human input, you surrender a great deal of self-worth and pride, responsibility and agency.” She said she grew emotional at the thought that humanity might go extinct for various reasons. Life is fragile, and time itself is long. Yet she hoped that, if relations with AI were constructive, they might preserve our DNA and reproduce us when conditions become more hospitable.
Today, she has shared the project’s first track. “ACCELERANDO” is a vast, sweeping, apocalyptic dance anthem created in collaboration with her regular partner VADAKIN. I’m not claiming it reaches the heights of Visions or Art Angels, but hearing her distinctive voice on this track reminded me why she became such a sensation in the first place. Listen below, and the music video will premiere at 1 p.m. ET.
“ACCELERANDO” is out now on Nazgul/Eternal Recurrence.
