Brett Callwood
IV4 Gets her Stroke On: Los Angeles-based artist, model, entrepreneur and singer IV4 has released a new single called “Stroke,” featuring Jeremih. The video sees her floating in the clouds with a bunch of pink ribbons, then soaking herself while washing a car, then riding a bucking bronco, then writhing on a bed. So the themes are fairly overt.
The press release reads: “Over dense production that includes both neon synthesizers and heavenly strings, IV4 expresses her deepest desires in the bedroom. ‘Just lay me on my back / And make me curl my toes / When I get that stroke,’ she sings. Later, IV4 trades lustful bars with Jeremih, letting her intimate expectations be known. By relaying direct lyrics through her honeyed vocals, IV4 paints a vivid picture of the attention she craves while leaving just enough to the imagination.”
Again, not a lot left to the imagination. But that’s super cool. This is a body positive, strong jam about a woman knowing exactly what she wants.
Of the video, the press release says: “In the Austin McCracken directed video, IV4
IV4 Gets her Stroke On: IV4’s “Stroke” single is out now.
IV4’s press release bio: “IV4 has a name for her exquisitely soulful, artful, and free-flowing genre of one: “alternative contemporary,” and that fits. The St. Louis-born, Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and model is undeniably of this ever-changing time, but she’s also always a couple steps to the side of the flow. Part of that is the way she flirts with pop, sidles up to R&B, and links arms with hip-hop, combining those familiar feels into a fresh take on the modern soundscape. Part of it is in the way she draws raw vulnerability and expression from the various flavors of rock she grew up on. But mostly, it’s that IV4 is a holistic artist whose entire presence—aural, visual, and beyond—is rich with emotional hues.
Over production that both booms and soothes, she lays down a seductive serenade that homes in on love’s intricacies. Armed with hundreds of journals filled with poems and lyrics, and backed by the Blank Square Productions team, IV4 has shared a string of songs that puts the elasticity of her vocals and vibe on full display, from lustful 2018 breakthrough “Because of Me” (produced by Smash David and SkipOnDaBeat), to last year’s trap&B bop ”Shameless,” to 2020’s dreamy, Trippie Redd-assisted “Swimming” and her most recent release “Could Neva.” Swerves were a theme in her life since day one—she and her family were often on the move when she was a child—but so were hard work and creative expression. As a result, IV4 never stays in one pocket for long, and that’s exactly why we won’t look away from her for a second.
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