In 2010, Willow Smith shook the world and her hair with her earworm of a hit, “Whip My Hair”, now the reborn Willow has me shook with the song “Marceline” for her new album Ardipithecus.

The song’s premise is based on the fictional character Marceline the Vampire Queen from the cult classic television series Adventure Time, and derives language from Avatar: The Last Airbender, however the premise is not what has me quite shaken.

Apart from the supposed juvenility of the song’s subject matter, the song opens with a barely audible guitar picking deep tones that feel almost subliminal. As the infectious voice of Willow opens with a quiet quake, she trails onto a meditative and lucid journey through desires and dreams, things we as people hope for. She takes us into a new dimension (“it’s raining knives like all the time”), through our roots in Nibiru (“don’t forget your cosmic roots”), riding on Lady Unicorn (“catch a ride on Lady Unicorn”), the never-ending battle with our thoughts (“guns and wars won’t stop the fights”), and I am hooked to her every note.

Despite the harmless meaning of the song, I cannot help but feel that this song strips down the human psyche, it demands attention and infests your brain, the soundwaves flowing through your ears and wrapping around your brain in a beautiful embrace. Willow’s voice transforms from these guttural pleas and longings to these shrill cries from her soul, a true shock for someone like me who really hated “Whip My Hair”.

This song, not only is it quite beautiful, intoxicating, fresh, (and did I mention beautiful?) but it is also a subtle commentary, not only on the human experience, the commonality and connection between two different beings, but the differences that divide us.