Tainy Reveals New Album Era With ‘MONSTRUO’ Alongside Feid

It’s a month for spookiness, and Tainy knows it.

Last week, the superstar producer caused a stir among his millions of followers  on social media when he erased all posts from his Instagram page. Soon after, he began to upload songs from his acclaimed album DATA (named the third best album of 2023 by Rolling Stone) to his Instagram stories, in a manner that felt like a countdown of sorts. Fans quickly began to speculate a follow-up album would be announced.

Last Monday, he posted a cryptic message, written in a misshapen font. “Desire to create, make it real” it begins, going on as if composed by a tortured soul in the middle of bringing something to life. “Frustration / Suffering / Doub…Letting go. No longer mine, now it’s yours.” Today, he released his creation to the world.

Featuring Colombian rapper Feid, that creation is “MONSTRUO,” the official first single from Tainy’s upcoming album and it arrives along with an appropriately moody music video, directed by Stillz. The song is a stylish perreo, heavy with Tainy’s expected creative flourishes — once again demonstrating why he’s considered the top-tier reggaeton producer.

The music video, presented in a vintage 4:3 aspect ratio, opens with a homage to the classic 1930s Universal Pictures logo. Presented entirely in black and white, the video channels the vibes of classic horror films, drenching every frame in jet-black shadows and gothic production design. 

Tainy is presented as a fusion of sinister orchestra conductor, mad scientist, and sorcerer of sorts; at one point, he supernaturally plays a dilapidated piano from afar. His creation — Tainy’s Prometheus — is portrayed by Feid, dressed in an oversized leather coat and lit in a manner that exaggerates his grills in an eerie way.

The haunting visuals, which also include faceless people and unsettling collages of creepy eyes, contrast the booming production of the track and its raunchy lyrics. If this is a tease of the concept that Tainy’s album will have (the same way DATA leaned on Japanese cyberpunk and anime influences), then it’s an intriguing one. Is “darks” Tainy on the way?