Elle King and Diplo Mourn Lost Love on “Without You”

Diplo and Elle King are mourning a lost love on “Without You.”

The twangy track marries a fast-picking banjo with a dreamy acoustic pop melody, with King taking lead vocals. The song finds the singer haunted by the memory of past love who leaves an unforgettable mark, as she hears echos of your name while stuck in an eternity of sorrow/Without you/The ocean has no waves/Without you/The moon won’t show his face/The stars don’t shine, the sun won’t rise Since you went away/Without you, King sings with a gentle voice as Diplo provides soft supporting harmonies.

The video was filmed during CMA Fest in Nashville, where the two debuted the song for the first time. “Go listen so my investment in a super 8 was worth it,” Diplo said on Instagram about the video, referencing the Kodak Super 8 camera used to capture it.

“Without You” is the DJ’s latest collaboration following the release of his album in April, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 — Swamp Savant. The country-leaning project features six songs with cross-genre collaborators including Parker McCollum on “Lonely Long,” Dove Cameron and Sturgill Simpson (aka Johnny Blue Skies) on “Use Me,” folk singers Sierra Ferrell and Paul Cauthen on “Rain on My Mind,” among others.

“For this [record], I definitely was thinking of Stagecoach,” Diplo explained about Swamp Savant. “I was like, ‘What works live? What can I do that’s uptempo, has energy?’ And I tapped into that urban cowboy vibe. Why can’t you dance to country music?…There’s room for everybody, especially in country. I think a younger audience definitely sees that there’s a lot more stories to be told in country music.”

Diplo’s previous country collaboration album, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, Chapter 1: Snake Oil, was released in 2020 and featured artists ranging from Thomas Rhett to the Jonas Brothers.

Photo Credit: Matthew Berinato/Courtesy Press on Publicity