Berlin-based artist Thea Alien unveils a darkly soulful pop entrancement on new single “careless,” produced by Calcou (Virgil Abloh, Norma Jean Martine) and mastered by John Greenham (Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Ashe). Its deft balancing of R&B, pop, and rap make for a compelling mystique, kicked off by an initial tonal nonchalance that bemoans superficial intentions. The ensuing chorus — “oh, we feel fine,” — grabs with a woozily hypnotic charm. The buzzing bass and laid-back vocals expand with seamless intrigue into the confident, stylish central hook, making for a standout production from Thea Alien.
Thea Alien elaborates further on the track:
“For me, the central question was what it is like to live in a capitalist system in which everything is geared towards growth, even though our resources are finite. In which financial success is seen as personal success and moral behavior is interpreted as weakness. I’m concerned with how people deal with this in their everyday lives, simply ignoring much of it, and I wanted to process this in my track „careless”.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
