For this week’s highlighted singles, the name of the game is “it’s complicated.” While beabadoobee delivers a delightfully sappy ode to love, others like Indigo De Souza, Feist and Eloise sing about the more abrasive emotions that erupt out of romantic infatuation. Read on for more. 

“Glue Song” by beabadoobee

Ethan Beck, Staff Writer

It’s become cliché to describe a song as cinematic, but how else are you supposed to encapsulate “Glue Song” by beabadoobee? There’s a simplicity to the ballad that makes it perfect for movie montages of characters falling in love, or TikToks depicting happy couples. The brushed drums, swooning strings and twinkling pianos all coalesce to form a song that brandishes its earnest qualities. The song opens and closes with the same line, a straightforward “I’ve never known someone like you,” which emphasizes the song’s lasting sweetness. 

From any other songwriter, the central metaphor of “Glue Song” — “I’m not lying / When I say I’ve been stuck / By the glue onto you” — would be overbearing or sickeningly saccharine, but the directness of beabadoobee’s lyrics work wonderfully when sung in her melodious soprano voice. With the support of trumpet flourishes and strummed acoustic guitars, “Glue Song” belongs on the soundtrack of the next great romcom.

“Younger & Dumber” by Indigo De Souza

Katherine Manatos, Contributing Writer

Reminiscent of innocent longing, Indigo De Souza’s new single “Younger & Dumber” hurts in all the right places. As a pre-release single from the artist’s next album, “All of This Will End,” the song hints at a general theme of somber, absent love. Beginning with the stripped sound of a plucked, acoustic guitar and piano chords, the song softly delivers a story from De Souza’s childhood. As the song progresses, the instrumentals build in intensity, and De Souza repeats the same phrase with frustration: “Which way will I run to when I want something new? / I don’t feel at home in this house anymore.” 

The song reaches its peak in the bridge when De Souza articulates her inner conflict with love. She expresses this complex emotion that is universally difficult to grasp with building instrumentals and raw, unstifled vocals. Throughout the song, De Souza aches for guidance, and exudes sorrow for her younger self. She captures this ubiquitous angst with precision, making it impossible for the listener to reach the end of the song without feeling the same emotions as the artist.

“Hiding Out In The Open” by Feist

Holden Lay, Staff Writer

On “Hiding Out In The Open,” the standout track from her trio of new singles collectively called “Multitudes,” Feist delivers a sparkling and sparse rumination on the secrets of love. Accompanied solely by her acoustic guitar and a distantly reverberating keyboard, Feist’s voice is breathtakingly intimate. In one surprising moment, she quite literally whispers in your ear through a robotic vocal filter, which somehow feels more revealing than a natural voice. Accompanied by a chorus of background chorals — a motif that is continued in the video that accompanies the song — Feist sings about love breaking down her defenses: “Hiding out in the open / Maybe I’m gonna let you down / Nothing’s gonna make us new / What’s done is not gonna undo.” The feelings here are ambiguous, and the song resolves on a note that suggests the continued paradoxes and complexities of love: “Love is not a thing you try to do / It wants to be the thing compelling you / To be you.” In typical fashion for the Canadian singer-songwriter, “Hiding Out In The Open” is an understatedly gorgeous song that is sure to get stuck in your head.

“Giant Feelings” by Eloise

Sandy Battulga, Music Editor

Eloise diverges from the jazzy, soul-inspired sound that has become a hallmark of her discography in “Giant Feelings,” but maintains her usual clever and wistful songwriting style. “Giant Feelings” is a pop ballad that throbs with vulnerability — even with its spiteful commentary on one of Eloise’s crummy relationships from the past. The middle section of the song is polished and well-produced, as evidenced by the presence of an electronic beat that consistently pulses throughout. In the chorus, Eloise confidently belts, “And I’m stuck with all these giant feelings for you / When’d you get to be so damn cruel? / All these giant fucking feelings I’ve wasted on you / Even made the clouds shed a tear or two / Well, I hope it fucking rains on you.” 

The last 10 seconds of “Giant Feelings” are magically stripped back, and reveal how the bruises of Eloise’s past relationship still ache. Even though she says, “Hope it fucking rains on you,” the tender rasp of Eloise’s voice makes clear that she is more hurt than she cares to admit. 

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