‘release’ is the latest single from experimental pop artist su i think and the third single from their upcoming project ‘real love’; produced by SGCackle of BigSofty it slots perfectly alongside previously released singles ‘yeah, cool’ and ‘close to god’.
The project of ‘real love’ so far appears to be exploring all the highs and lows of love, with ‘release’ taking things to the next level. While Su’s first single ‘yeah, cool’ simultaneously shed light and dark on ideas surrounding lost love, ‘close to god’ deviated away from these themes to discuss feelings of desire and the subsequent bitterness felt during a whirlwind relationship. ‘release’, was written shortly after leaving an ex and in this track, Su details the journey of finally leaving and moving on from the relationship and the freedom felt once ‘released’ from the situation.
The opening saxophone played over a lo-fi, chattering ambience creates an old-timey intro that conveys a certain air of class and sexiness, instantly creating an intriguing yet mellow mood. When the drums and vocals cut through this slow, thoughtful moment, the contrast results in the track quickly shifting gears – think Doja Cat sampling Dionne Warwick in ‘Paint The Town Red’ but arguably Su’s intro hits harder, as the brass dissolves away completely to make space for pounding, primal beats and Su’s emotive lyrics.
Opening lyric “respect me enough so let me fend for myself alone” introduces the theme of leaving and indicates the difficult conversations that are present when relationships are ending. Through their previous tracks, it’s clear that Su LOVES a metaphor, and we are blessed with “the opera is ending quick and this is our final score” which elevates the narration and ends the first verse in the most dramatic way.
The pre-chorus “music sounding bad right now” reflects these negative feelings, but once layered over poppy beats and building ambience its followed by “can you hear the beat…keep standing on my feet” – this adds a positive note, reminding us that even though things may be shit, you’ve got to accept these feelings and ‘listen’ to them, all the while keeping upright as you move forwards, and doing what ya gotta do!
The chorus begins with acapella vocals “you supress, I release” which hits HARD, and is quickly followed by the most satisfying and danceable beat that just wakes up something within you and makes you want to move – which is pretty apt as Su’ tells us “so move”’ just in time for some Spanish sounding guitar licks reminiscent of the vibes found in ‘yeah, cool’. The high energy chorus is quickly contrasted by the second verse as “can’t hold a heart that hurts me, I’m scared that we might burn” conveying once again the need to leave the relationship.
When the second pre-chorus comes around, things have shifted to “music sounding good right now”, reflective of finally getting over the relationship and releasing the negative emotions. Su describes that when writing the track, it was a time when “I could finally look back on all our time together, push my hair behind my ear and giggle” and that “I wanted to view it as a celebration of getting to the next chapter and letting go of the old one.” The subtle shifts from the chorus’ “don’t move” to “move with me” to a final “move on’” as the closing line of the song is quite melancholic and sombre, providing both closure to the track and metaphorically to the relationship which is now over – also acting as a note to self: to release and move on.
Su describes the track as ‘a song written for people who finally got away; stop romanticising and close the door forever’, and holds many central themes present in all of the tracks from ‘real love’ so far – self-worth, knowing when to walk away, respecting yourself and moving on. su i think is making music that helps us through life’s tribulations in the most light-hearted way, reminding us to trudge through the shit, leave the past behind, and make the best of it – all the while reminding us that sometimes on reflection, the bad wasn’t all that bad, and we can still celebrate the good times within the bad. ‘release’ is a track that can be enjoyed in any way you feel in the moment with all of su i think’s songs providing an uplifting and intoxicating space if you just wanna vibe and boogie, while also offering many layers to reflect and digest if you want to feel all the feels and heal. ‘release’ is a great example that su i think has nailed the perfect recipe for some of the best pop bangers, (and definitely does not miss with their most recent release.)