Diplo—or should we say Thomas Wesley—is back in the saddle.
After teasing the return to his country project in early January, Diplo continues his trend of uniting artists for unlikely collaborations on “Wasted,” featuring Kodak Black and Koe Wetzel. The single, which opens the “next chapter” in the Thomas Wesley project, per Diplo, noticeably skews more country-rock than any of the aliases’ earlier releases, directly playing to Wetzel’s strengths (the American singer/songwriter is known for blending rock and country).
“Wasted” arrives in tandem with a music video directed by Austin Peters, who is memorable for directing Give Me Future, a documentary that profiled Major Lazer’s historic concert that drew 400,000 fans to Havana, Cuba in 2016. The single is Diplo’s first release under the Thomas Wesley project since its debut LP, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Snake Oil (Deluxe) (2020). The album included features from various blockbuster artists both affiliated and unaffiliated with the country genre, including Thomas Rhett, Morgan Wallen, the Jonas Brothers, and Leon Bridges, among others.
The launch of Thomas Wesley (which uses Diplo’s given name) also propelled the producer to perform at Stagecoach, where he’ll return for the third time this year, closing the festival with his “Late Night in Palomino” bit and curating his own stage, Diplo’s HonkyTonk, throughout the weekend. The festival will be held in Indio Valley, California from April 28–30.
