Love and War (Banks & Steelz song)
# Love and War (Banks & Steelz song)

"Love and War" (stylized as "Love + War") is the debut single by Banks & Steelz, a collaborative project created by Interpol frontman Paul Banks and Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. Featuring a rap verse from fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, it was premiered on the Apple Music radio station Beats 1 on May 19, 2016. It was subsequently released as a digital download, acting as the lead single from their debut studio album, Anything But Words (2016). A music video for the song, which pays tribute to the film Reservoir Dogs, was also released on May 20.

## Composition

"Love and War" is a rock-influenced hip hop song. It features rap verses from RZA and Ghostface Killah as well as a sung chorus done by Paul Banks, where he repeats "All is fair in love and war / What you keeping score for" throughout. April Clare Welsh of Fact stated that the song is built around "shuffling grooves, driving guitar and Mariachi-style trumpet."

## Music video

The music video for the "Love and War" was released on the duo's YouTube channel on May 20, 2016. Directed by director group Arms Race, the video is a tribute to an iconic torture scene from the 1992 Quentin Tarantino-directed film Reservoir Dogs. The video has been described as "grisly" by Sarah Murphy of Exclaim!. Tom Breihan of Stereogum described the video, saying that it "starts out as a yakuza torture scene, and it takes some unexpected turns." Banks and RZA also appear in the video as hired guns; RZA shares "Tarantino-esque" dialogue with Banks, who remains mute during the video. RZA had worked with Tarantino in the past; he worked on the soundtrack for his Kill Bill series.

## Personnel

Personnel adapted from AllMusic.

## Release history

| Region | Date | Label | Format |
| - | - | - | - |
| Worldwide | May 19, 2016 | Warner Bros. | Digital download |
