Paul Banks of Interpol and RZA of Wu Tang Clan have banded together on “Giant,” the latest preview of their upcoming joint album, Anything But Words, due Aug. 26 on Warner Bros.

The new single combines the rapper’s assured, rapid delivery with Banks’ cool-as-a-cucumber baritone over 8-bit flourishes and frenetic beats. RZA spits a brief history of hip-hop (“… Started on the East Coast / Then it moved west / Now down to ’Bama”) and Banks croons in the silky chorus, “I’ve stopped announcing I will play this game that so easily started, not so easily parted.”

The duo, going by Banks & Steelz, also announced their full-length LP in a press release. Anything But Words will feature 11 tracks, including lead single “Love + War.” Fellow Wu Tang members Method Man, Masta Killa and Ghostface Killah team up with the twosome for the album, as do Florence Welch and Kool Keith.

Banks & Steelz emerge after three years of songwriting between the pair, who were introduced by RZA’s manager.

"When I met Paul, I recognized the New York energy he has as a music artist," RZA told Rolling Stone in 2013. "We got to know each other playing chess and vibing out in the studio. Our talents connected in a unique way and we started writing songs. The outcome was something distinctively different from my previous work, yet with another layer of cool."

Banks & Steelz 2016 Tour Dates

7/21 Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
8/24 Seattle, WA – Crocodile
8/25 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
8/27 San Francisco, CA – Independent
8/28 Los Angeles, CA – FYF
8/31 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
9/1 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
9/3 Boston, MA – Sinclair
9/6 Toronto, ON – Mod Club
9/8 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
9/23 - 9/25 Las Vegas, NV – Life is Beautiful Festival
9/27 Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
9/30 - 10/2 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
10/7 - 10/9 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
10/9 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom

Summer 2016 Music Festival Guide

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