{{For|motor control in humans and other animals|Motor control}} {{Infobox album | name = Motor Function | type = ep | artist = Binki | cover = Motor Function by Binki - cover art.jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|2021|08|13}} | recorded = 2019–2020 | studio = | genre = Hip hop | length = 10:38 | label = *Fader Label | producer = {{flatlist| *SADPONY *Justin Raisen *Chasen Smith *Nate Donmoyer *SLATERS }} }}
'''''Motor Function''''' (stylized in all caps) is the debut EP by American singer-songwriter and rapper Binki. It was released on August 13, 2021 through Fader Label.
''Motor Function'' was met with acclaim from music critics, who praised Binki's blending of genres and his energy on the album.
==Background and recording== Prior to ''Motor Function'', Binki had been releasing singles after he shifted focus from acting pursuits toward venturing into music following his graduation from university in 2018, and subsequent move to New York City.<ref name=Browne/><ref name=Williams-0721/> Garnering attention from music media outlets for these singles,<ref name=Complex-19>{{cite web|last1=Moore|first1=Jacob|last2=Gardner|first2=Alex|last3=Rindner|first3=Grant|last4=Price|first4=Joe|url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2019/08/best-new-artists-august-2019|title=Best New Artists of the Month (August)|work=Pigeons & Planes|publisher=Complex Networks|date=August 26, 2019|accessdate=April 13, 2023}}</ref> ''The Line of Best Fit''{{'}}s Hannah Browne wrote that Binki developed a reputation for "gritty, punkish energy" due to his "novel fusion of sophisticated pop, brattish indie, grungy rap, and the majority in between."<ref name=Browne/> Based in Brooklyn, Binki has cited the borough's "genre-less" approach to music, as well as the "kinetic energy" of New York's music scene as inspiration for ''Motor Function''.<ref name=Williams-0721/>
Binki's debut EP, ''Motor Function'' also drew inspiration from his quarantine stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=Farrell/> The EP's intro track, "Clay Pigeon", as well as "Landline" were both recorded remotely.<ref name=Farrell/> The first song finished for ''Motor Function'', "Revolve" was written and recorded in one day.<ref name=Browne/><ref name=Farrell/> "Revolve" included "glitchy vocals and creeping synth."<ref name=Williams-0721/> The song also layered "heavy drums and guitars interspersed with short electronic instruments."<ref name=Zwerner/>
The EP includes Binki's commentary on themes such as "vulnerability, youthful frustration, and broken relationships."<ref name=Williams-0721/>
==Release and singles== In May 2021, Binki released the single "Clay Pigeon".<ref name=Golsen/> "Revolve" was then released on June 30.<ref name=Browne/> The EP was released through Fader Label shortly thereafter, on August 13.<ref name=Williams-0821/>
==Critical reception== ''Motor Function'' received praise from music reviewers, who noted its tracks to have an appealing raw kineticism.<ref name=Browne/><ref name=Farrell/><ref name=Golsen/><ref name=Williams-0821/> Margaret Farrell, writing for ''Flood'', stated the tracks on ''Motor Function'' "are a spectrum of thrills", pointing to the "pummeling bass" on "Revolve", as well as the "grime and glamour" of "Landline". Farrell went on to say "Binki's vocals are commanding without being overbearing," noting the juxtaposition of the "rich" delivery on his singing vocals and the "harshness of his spoken-word" segments. Farrell opined that "the overall intensity of ''Motor Function'' is an electric balm in a year with much need for catharsis."<ref name=Farrell/>
Sophie Williams of ''NME'' wrote that ''Motor Function'' is a "medley of genre-splicing anthems that ring in your ears for days afterwards," and noted that Binki's commentary on the project's themes "[tumble] out of him with audacious energy over stop-start riffs and ear-bending beats."<ref name=Williams-0721/> Williams went on to rate the EP four out five stars; in her review, Williams praised the EP as "wonderfully tight and electric", stating it established Binki as "a versatile singer-songwriter, whose magnetic choruses thrive off duelling forces of freedom and anxiety."<ref name=Williams-0821/> Williams called "Revolve" a "highlight" on the EP, writing that the song "upholds the EP's overarching acceptance of difficult truths as it moves into the murky territory of romantic frustration."<ref name=Williams-0821/> "Landline" was part of the 2021 game FIFA 22
==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = ''Motor Function'' track listing | extra_column = Producer(s) | title1 = Clay Pigeon | writer1 = {{flatlist| *Chasen Smith *Baraka Ongeri}} | extra1 = {{flatlist| *SADPONY *Justin Raisen *Chasen Smith}} | length1 = 2:29
| title2 = Landline | writer2 = {{flatlist| *Smith *Ongeri}} | extra2 = {{flatlist| *SADPONY *Justin Raisen *Chasen Smith}} | length2 = 2:40
| title3 = Revolve | writer3 = {{flatlist| *Nate Donmoyer *Ongeri}} | extra3 = {{flatlist| *Nate Donmoyer}} | length3 = 2:52
| title4 = Invisible Fence | writer4 = {{flatlist| *Alex Craig *Al Carson *Ongeri}} | extra4 = {{flatlist| *SLATERS *SADPONY *Justin Raisen}} | length4 = 2:35
| total_length = 10:38 }}
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=Golsen>{{cite web|last=Golsen|first=Tyler|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/binki-shares-new-single-clay-pigeon/|title=Binki shares new single 'Clay Pigeon'|work=Far Out|date=May 21, 2021|accessdate=April 13, 2023}}</ref> <ref name=Zwerner>{{cite web|last=Zwerner|first=Alexander|url=https://earmilk.com/2021/07/02/binki-releases-genre-defying-single-revolve/|title=Binki releases genre-defying single "Revolve"|work=Earmilk|date=July 2, 2021|accessdate=April 13, 2023}}</ref> <ref name=Farrell>{{cite web|last=Farrell|first=Margaret|url=https://floodmagazine.com/92361/binki-track-by-track/|title=binki Walks Us Through His Energizing EP "Motor Function"|work=Flood|date=August 16, 2021|accessdate=April 13, 2023}}</ref> <ref name=Williams-0721>{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Sophie|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-radar/binki-clay-pigeon-interview-3001539|title=Binki: "My goal is always to try and make something tha's subversive"|work=NME|date=July 26, 2021|accessdate=April 13, 2023}}</ref> <ref name=Williams-0821>{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Sophie|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/binki-motor-function-ep-review-radar-3017670|title=Binki – 'Motor Function' EP review: a compelling work of hope and fear|work=NME|date=August 12, 2021|accessdate=April 13, 2023}}</ref> <ref name=Browne>{{cite web|last=Browne|first=Hannah|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/new-music/song-of-the-day/binki-revolve|title=Buzzing New York polymath binki proves his acclaim on "Revolve"|work=The Line of Best Fit|date=June 30, 2021|accessdate=April 13, 2023}}</ref> }}
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Category:2021 debut EPs Category:Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Category:Albums produced by Justin Raisen Category:Alternative hip-hop EPs