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New Music

New Music: Pharrell Williams – “Runnin'” and “Surrender”

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Singer Pharrell Williams performs onstage during the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Lionel Richie at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)

The latest from Pharrell is “Runnin’,” a jazz-age ditty from the soundtrack to Hidden Figures, a forthcoming biopic about the pioneering black NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson.

“Runnin'” is an Idlewild-style homage to old juke-joint music, and Pharrell dusts the production with subtle contemporary touches. The most clever of these is the bass line, which uses a tuned electronic kick drum to approximate the kind of thing a swinging standup bassist might play. Listen to “Runnin'” below.

UPDATE (11:36 a.m.): Pharrell has also shared “Surrender,” which features Lalah Hathaway and also comes from the Hidden Figures soundtrack. Listen to that one below “Runnin’.”