With the intimacy of lo-fi bedroom pop and the nostalgia of a summertime road trip, BUFFY has mastered her form on Clear.
BUFFY has offered a nostalgic slice of shimmering electronica in the form of her new single, Clear. Produced by Lucy Blomkamp — who has elsewhere worked with the likes of Mallrat and 6lack — the track coasts by with the summery ease of a coastal road trip, helped along by airy synths and even airier vocals.
Here, BUFFY sings in whispery melodies atop a lo-fi beat, with subtle electronic flairs like glitch effects and distorted vocals. There’s a warmth to the production on Clear, which is helped along by the use of acoustic instruments alongside more electronic moments, from the glistening opening piano keys to the catchy percussion throughout.
There might be a tendency for the electronic production to outshine the work of the vocalist, but on Clear, BUFFY forefronts her angelic timbre without sacrificing the ear-catching moments that define her own lane of pop music.
The result is a track that feels both nostalgic in its singer-songwriter moments and futuristic in its cosmic and ambient soundscape.
BUFFY masters the intimacy required for her lo-fi sound, pairing a bedroom-made aesthetic with vocal delivery so pristine you feel as though you’re right there in the studio with her.
BUFFY’s lyricism is an extension of that intimacy, as the Melbourne musician sings of repeated promises and commitment within a relationship.
“I’m gonna walk that road along with you,” she sings in a tone so heavenly you might touch the clouds. “I’m gonna shake that broken attitude.”
The message around overcoming love’s obstacles and choosing to work on things is both vivid and novel, especially within a pop genre that can often veer towards superficiality.
Somehow melancholic and joyous in equal measure, Clear exists in an ethereal, liminal space that makes the listening experience all the more enthralling.
Clear marks BUFFY’s first release since Deep Days and Dark Nights, her debut EP which arrived in 2022. Elsewhere, the singer has signed a publishing deal with Kobalt, and had her songs remixed by the prolific DJ Denim.
Listen to BUFFY’s blissful new single Clear below.
