Fans clamoring for an Odd Future reunion had a moment of intense optimism when multiple members of the L.A. rap collective came together at Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris anniversary show in August, and it seemed like there was reason for even more excitement when a mysterious new song appeared on Spotify today, September 22. “New Future Era“ appeared unexpectedly on Spotify as the group’s first release in over a decade, but it turned out to be a lark, as affiliated publicists confirmed to GQ, albeit one that has racked up more than 40,000 streams at press time.
What’s perhaps oddest about this purported new song is that it doesn’t feature AI versions of Tyler, the Creator, Earl, and Syd, it’s just kind of gobbledigook. The 545-second “record” features minimalist drums and sing-songy vocals repeating the word “Embarrassing” while undergoing various pitch shifts. In some ways, it feels like the kind of inspired troll job that the Odd Future crew would have done in their younger, more mischievous years.
In recent years, people posting fake music by A-list artists has become a pervasive problem, though often these records are uploaded to DSPs like Spotify under an alias. (In 2018, an imposter SZA album appeared on streaming services credited to “Sister Solana,” and the same thing happened with Beyoncé.)
When it comes to Odd Future, members like Tyler have been pretty explicit that a reunion in the studio is highly unlikely. Speaking to an audience at a 2020 Converse event in London, Tyler said, “Nine times out of seven, no,” when asked about the possibility of the group truly getting back together. “I would be open to it, but I think everyone is kinda past that,” he added. In the years since the crew emerged and shifted mainstream hip-hop left, its members have gone on to wildly successful, diverse careers, with Tyler and Frank Ocean becoming generational stars, Syd and Earl earning critical acclaim, and Jasper Dolphin, Lionel Boyce, and Taco Bennett finding success as film and television actors.
Still, no one can beat the members of Odd Future at their own prankster game–at his New York Doris anniversary show, Earl even went so far as to bring out a fake Frank Ocean.