Dancehall star Intence has kicked off 2024 with “Year of Gear,” the second single from his upcoming debut album, VOYAGE. It was released digitally, alongside a music video, on January 1st via VP Records.
“Year of Gear” is the sixth consecutive New Year’s Day single from Intence, who has turned top-of-year releases into an annual tradition. It began in 2019 with “Be Careful” and has continued through 2020’s “Critics,” 2021’s “New Year,” 2022’s “NEW GEAR,” and 2023’s “DEEDS.”
Produced by Nuh Brakes Recordz over a riddim by MXSSIVH and Blacklist Beatz, “Year of Gear” carries forward the introspective, mournful tone of VOYAGE’s lead single “Lesson,” which was released in October 2023. Throughout his new song, Intence reflects on the blessing of another year while lamenting those he’s lost along the way.
In the music video, directed by KD Visualz, Intence pulls from his video budget to help those in need in Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown.
VOYAGE will be Intence’s first project since 2021, when he dropped both the Wounded EP and the Public Enemy No. 1 mixtape. That same year, New York Times writer Jody Rosen hailed Intence’s song “Yahoo Boyz” as “the biggest dancehall smash of 2021.”