After years of garnering acclaim across the underground and mainstream for a singular, boundary-pushing stream of consciousness sound, London based rapper, producer and poet John Glacier’s debut album, Like A Ribbon, will finally be released on February 14th 2025. A dreamlike portrayal of the journey from a simple existence growing up in Hackney, to projecting stories to the world while aiming to maintain a semblance of normalcy in what is a very extraordinary life. Now we can see the final taste of the album’s eclectic fusion of sounds before its release in the form of new single ‘Ocean Steppin’’, which features forward-thinking soul luminary Sampha.
Opening to chiming keys and textures courtesy of producer Kwes Darko, the track carries a deceptively uptempo rhythm, with John displaying her own unique flow; ruminating on living in her own world without a care for other people’s opinions for her. As the track builds to a lush, expansive crescendo, Sampha offers his own gorgeously freeform verse – adding a vocal tone that fuses perfectly with the track’s sonic tapestry to give it an almost soundscape-esque atmosphere. ‘Ocean Steppin’’ is a beautifully uplifting cut from Glacier about staying true to yourself and your own reality without letting others bring you into theirs.
The track comes complete with an impactful visual from famed director Gabriel Moses, shot as part of his Brothers Keeper zine with i-D. The video finds John performing in solitude, lost in the music set to a muted, yet wholly engrossing colour palette envisioned by Moses.
On the video, Gabriel Moses says: “John is just herself. That’s what’s always drawn me to her – she’s an individual and brings that essence to the work. When you operate like that, to me that’s what makes an artist captivating.”
Stream / download ‘Ocean Steppin’ (feat. Sampha)’ here.
Pre-order / pre-save Like A Ribbon here.