JoeJas need to know how you feel about being loved by a Left Handed Bandit in his fiendishly clever new single and video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The oddball U.K. rapper, masked musical marvel and one-man multi-media multi-tasker’s second single of the year is another left-field hit that makes it clear he is one of music’s most criminally underappreciated artists. Amid a smouldering slow jam propelled by a minimalist funk-hop backbeat and decorated with colourful swirls of keyboard, bongo, brass and flute, our anti-hero gived us a peek behind his face-saving disguise as he opens himself up to the possibility of love. But even though he proclaims himself a romantic thief, it seems like he’s really the one who’s had his heart stolen:
“Have you ever been with a bandit?
Hearts I’m snatching
They drip when I bag ’em
Would you ever be with a bandit?
Never stay maskless
Defence from the past tense
Nah, you never been with a bandit
Tell by the way you never leave it’s tragic
Have you ever been with a… Nah
Will you ever stay with a bandit?”
Illustrated by another cartoonishly comical and stylishly creative video starring and shot by JoeJas himself, Left Handed Bandit is a song “exploring relationships from the view of a person who doesn’t show affection in ways that conform to the norm, which leads to questioning of themselves and the partner they are with.”
This song also plays into the grander narrative of JoeJas’s musical mythology, with his alter-ego / character Gappy becoming a bandit who holds the heart of recurring love interest Sally in his hand. It also serves as the prelude to an upcoming single explaining the lore: Gaps & Nomads Season Finale Ep. 7.
As for his own story: An artist and producer (under the alias HairyMuffinMan), JoeJas has been rapping since he was 11. He started producing at 17 because the beats he was on did not showcase the full vision he had for his music. He put out his self-produced debut album Planet in 2016, blending influences from punk, jazz, hip-hop and R&B. This genre-mashing has become a defining point in his music.
He has shot, edited and directed all his videos, which feature a distinctively colourful visual style. In his performances, he takes audiences into the world of the albums he’s created, introducing them to his many characters and balancing his off-the-wall energy with slower grooves and sombre sounds. In 2020, JoeJas won the Vans Musicians Wanted competition, earning praise from Anderson .Paak for his unique style.
Watch the video for Left Handed Bandit above, hear more from JoeJas below and heart him on his website, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
