🎵 Track: Landline
🎤 Artist: binki
💿 EP: MOTOR FUNCTION (2021)
📅 Released on: August 13, 2021
📺 Watch on YouTube: binki – Landline (Official Video)
📈 Views: 1,068,290+
A New Wave of Sound: Who Is binki?
binki, born Baraka Ongeri, is part of a wave of new artists reshaping alternative music. Raised in North Carolina by Kenyan immigrant parents, binki blends post-punk, indie rock, funk, and hip-hop with a theatrical edge that sets him apart in today’s genre-hopping landscape.
“Landline,” off his debut EP MOTOR FUNCTION, is arguably his most hypnotic and infectious work—a song that doesn’t just sound different, it feels different.
About the Song: Landline
“Landline” opens with crunchy, distorted guitars, a looping drum groove, and binki’s sharp, half-spoken, half-sung vocal delivery. It’s both minimal and maximal at once—like a lo-fi radio transmission from a future where Prince, The Strokes, and Talking Heads all jam in the same room.
“Don’t call me on my landline / You know it doesn’t work like that…”
The lyrics tap into themes of disconnection in the digital age. There’s a playfulness in binki’s voice, but also a subtle kind of anxiety—about communication, identity, and maybe even growing up. The title alone evokes nostalgia for older tech in a world drowning in constant connectivity.
Production and Personnel
Behind the scenes, “Landline” shines thanks to a killer team:
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Produced by: Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, Yves Tumor), SADPONY, and Chasen Smith
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Mixed and Engineered by: Justin Raisen, Jaclyn Sanchez, Anthony Paul Lopez, Ainjel Emme
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Mastering: John Greenham
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Lyrics/Composition: Baraka Ongeri & Chasen Smith
The production is raw but tight—every sound feels intentional, and the gritty texture of the track gives it character. It’s edgy, but smooth. Chaotic, but controlled.
The Music Video: Controlled Chaos
The official video, directed with a chaotic and colorful lens, plays like a Gen Z fever dream. Jump cuts, VHS aesthetics, digital overlays, and absurdist acting all combine to mirror the track’s anxious energy. It’s disorienting in the best way—like watching the internet unravel in front of you.
The EP: MOTOR FUNCTION
“Landline” is a standout from binki’s debut EP MOTOR FUNCTION, which further explores themes of confusion, self-expression, and pressure. Across just five tracks, binki proves he’s not afraid to take risks. Each song is like a different thought from the same brain—imperfect, jittery, fascinating.
🎧 Stream MOTOR FUNCTION: Available here
Final Thoughts
“Landline” is a personal favorite for a reason—it’s hard to pin down, a little weird, and incredibly catchy. It’s one of those tracks that sticks in your head after the first listen because it doesn’t follow the usual rules. And in an age of musical sameness, that’s rare and refreshing.
Whether you’re into indie, alt-pop, post-punk, or just want something unpredictable, Landline is worth dialing into.
📺 Watch again: binki – Landline
🔗 Follow binki on socials (via FADER Label):
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Instagram: @binkistinks
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Twitter/X: @binkistinks
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FADER Label: faderlabel.com