WATCH THE DUCK

Watch the Duck first gained traction as an electronic outfit from Montgomery, Alabama, where vocalist Jesse Rankins joined forces in 2012 with DJ/percussionist Eddie Smith III and keyboardist Jonathan Wells, the latter known for performing in a duck costume. Guitarist Oscar White III stepped in briefly as Wells’s replacement soon afterward. Blending Gnarls Barkley textures with Skrillex’s signature big-drop dubstep, the trio coined the hybrid “trapstep” or “soulstep.” That approach powered their breakthrough single “Poppin’ Off,” which anchored the 2012 debut EP Anatidaephobia on Epic—a title referencing the irrational fear of being observed by ducks. The 2015 full-length The Trojan Horse expanded the roster with guest spots from Pharrell Williams, T.I., ScHoolboy Q, Afrojack, Steve Aoki, and additional collaborators. A 2017 deluxe edition tripled the track count through numerous remixes. Also in 2017, WTD appeared on Wiwek’s “Drum Nation” and unveiled their own “Friends Only,” a release that signaled their exit from dubstep in favor of smoother, R&B-tinged nostalgia. The group had slimmed to a duo by 2018; Rankins and Smith sustained the shift away from aggressive electronics on “There You Are,” a cut whose atmosphere recalled the work of MNEK, Keys N Krates, and Pell.