Deb Never and Kenny Beats Pay Homage to Steve Austin in "Stone Cold"
Photo: Jenn Kang
Some would argue that the closest we have to modern-day Shakespeare is the WWE. Those some would be right. After all, where else can Stone Cold Steve Austin being hit by a car turn into a Holmesian style whodunit with numerous unexpected twists and red herrings? It is a love for theatrics and larger-than-life personalities that builds the foundation for Deb Never's and Kenny Beat's "Stone Cold."
READ: Discover Deb Never and the Infectious Melancholy of 'House on Wheels'
From Dominic Fike's "Phone Numbers" to the animated world of Denzel Curry's Unlocked, "Stone Cold" arrives in a long line of Kenny Beats - produced projects, and paints Deb Never as an artist who is undeniably up next. While most previous Kenny Beats-assisted affairs have been built around leftfield pop personality and booming hip-hop, "Stone Cold" retains Never's effortlessly cool flair.
Backed by a sauntering, ominous bassline, Never delivers a track that doubles as an homage to the infamous Stone Cold Steve Austin and an examination of toxic masculinity. "Stone Cold Steve Austin / Desperate for attention / He's slamming bodies left and right / Just to prove a point / That he's the strongest man alive / But a lonely boy," Never states in a characteristically nonchalant fashion.
"Stone Cold" also arrives alongside a video that adopts the theatrical approach of a backyard WWE show ripped straight from the attitude era of the late '90s and early '00s. With Never donning inflatable muscle arms à la SpongeBob and Kenny Beats making for a grade-A announcer, we may just have an early contender for the best music video of 2020 on our hands.
Listen to "Stone Cold" below:
