YUNGBLUD and Lil Yachty Leave the World Behind in "When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)"
Photo: Tom Pallant
Internationally acclaimed artist and musician YUNGBLUD unveils his first single of 2024, "When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)," featuring GRAMMY-nominated American artist, rapper, and producer Lil Yachty. The single sees the duo push the boundaries of what they can create, experimenting with immersive soundscapes and effects that spark and inspire the imagination.
Intertwining acoustic guitar strums, warm rhythm guitar riffs, and hints of hand drum patterns take the lead, ushering in YUNGBLUD's signature raspy vocals. The singer mulls over questions like, "Does heaven have a dealer? / Do they sell the love cheaper than in Hollywood?" As the instrumentation builds into the chorus, he asks out into the ether, "When we die, tell me, can we still get high?" before entrancing layers of strings, synths, and effects slowly bleed their way into the sonic concoction. Lil Yachty's rich vibrato-filled vocals pair well with the almost ethereal production, especially during the bridge, which ebbs and flows like a shroom or acid trip, giving the track an earthiness that balances it out.
Speaking about the new track, YUNGBLUD reveals, "'When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)' was one of the first songs I wrote when I got to New Orleans to make new music. Me and Yachty have been talking since 2019, and I've always thought we were on the same trip - fuck the rules, push things forward. So, when I wrote the song, I knew he'd add something amazing. I wanted this moment to be a collision of each other's imagination and sound. I'm really excited about it and for what it could potentially inspire between the future of alternative and hip-hop. Press play."
The song arrives alongside an official music video directed by Logan Fields and Yussef Haridy and filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. The surrealistic video starts with the artist walking the city streets, eventually going to the top of a tall parking garage. With the rising sun's light on his face, he jumps from the rooftop, leaving the world he knew and the ominous black butterfly he encountered behind. The video shifts to a field full of flowers and other fallen people, including Lil Yachty, admiring the beauty of nature around them with artfully psychedelic visuals seeping into the production.
Watch the "When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)" video below:
