London-based artist Teddy Jackson just released their boundary-breaking single ‘Freak’. The track playfully demonstrates the different stages and feelings in the nuanced and often inexplicable queer sexual experience. The single dares us to rethink taboos around kink and throw gender expectations to the wind.
The sex positive track, produced in collaboration with SBO9, is not concerned with labels or genre – rather it looks to tackle the idea of ‘propriety’ that has been thrust upon us by outdated societal ‘standards’ and ‘norms’. Teddy blends a muiltude of sonic influences including hyperpop, hip hop and queer pop, and even mines the audio identity of the matrix for its inter-dimensional sounds. The result is a dark yet liberating tune that immediately transports the listener to the sweaty underground parties that have been more of a fantasy than a reality for some time.
The video, with cinematography by Oz Thakkar, takes a different direction to the sonics, where the bright, campy and comedic characters explore satires of different societal archetypes whilst creating their own ideation of sexual fantasy through comical props, body language and movement. Their clever characterization deftly alludes to the idea that everyone has their own sexual fantasies irrespective of their background, lifestyle, or identity.
Teddy comments, “Sex and sexuality need not continue to be such a politicised and serious subject but rather an extension of someone’s personality and identity. We should be free to explore our sexuality in our own time and on our own terms without feeling the need to hide it or guilty for exploring it.”
Teddy Jackson is here to cause a stir although a fun one. The sonic anarchy and themes of sexual freedom in ‘Freak’ align with other progressive electronic artists such as Ashnikko, Shygirl, and Charli XCX. Much like the output of these intriguing compatriots, this latest single warrants getting to your feet, shaking off those norms and getting weird on the nearest dance floor.
Photography by Erica Von Stein, Freak artwork by ITARPAS.