It was only a matter of time before Grimes fully embraced posthumanity and got to work on her AI successor. Earlier this week, she did just that, officially announcing her new AI girl group, NPC, and their debut track, titled “A Drug From God”.
Marking the musician’s first collaboration with house DJ Chris Lake — who teased the track during a festival appearance back in May — “A Drug From God” has now arrived, released via Astralwerks and Black Book Records.
Alongside the song and accompanying visuals, Grimes has shared more details about the makeup of NPC. According to press materials, the group will feature infinite members that can be voted in or out, as well as core members such as the ‘de-aged digital clone’ WarNymph.
Hinting at future developments for NPC, the group’s description adds that it is: “a vehicle for experimentation in new technologies as they become available, such as generative characters and music, diff types of animation, AI-assisted art, as well as spiritual technology in that Grimes can create as other people in order to reduce the psychic pain of being in the public eye.”
“NPC will hone the concepts of Art Angels and Miss Anthropocene, finally manifesting the endless characters in Grimes’ head. NPC can do all the things humans cannot. NPC will eventually be playable, customizable, and able to cater to each individual listener’s unique desires. Decentralized Popstardom. Made, not Born.”
Grimes has also hinted at a tie-in with the space opera universe of her Miss Anthropocene follow-up, which is set to revolve around a lesbian AI romance. “NPC is the most popular girl group in the Space Opera universe,” she explains, in the comments of a recent Instagram post.
Listen to NPC’s debut track with Chris Lake, “A Drug From God”, below.