Zëta Ræ pairs hyperpop with grunge rock on INFATUATED, an ode to the blissful inescapability of a newfound crush.
There’s a free-spiritedness to Zëta Ræ’s new single INFATUATED, both in its storytelling and its refusal to be defined by any one genre.
Flitting seamlessly between pop-punk, rock and hyper-pop, the electronic-driven single details the singer’s infatuation with a particularly inescapable crush.
INFATUATED opens with spacey synths and glitch sound effects, before Ræ’s brooding vocals introduce the song’s subject who holds “the universe in [their] iris.”
In a comparison that underpins Ræ’s sonic versatility, the single at once recalls the pristine aughties pop of Hoku’s Perfect Day and the punkish attitude of Charli XCX.
Subscribing to hyper-pop without being beholden to it, INFATUATED features staples of the genre like distorted harmonies, brash synth melodies and scream-like vocal asides.
This makes for an electrifying listen, but Ræ adds even more texture through classic rock features like thunderous percussion and Paramore-level emo flairs.
Equally as rich as Ræ’s production is her lyricism, perfectly encapsulating the unavoidability of a newfound flame, equal parts smitten and frustrating.
“Starting to think I’ve got a thing for you,” Ræ pines amongst ascendant vocal harmonies, “don’t know how to say it, I’m so infatuated.”
To smuggle relatable tales of love and lust within an otherwise head-thrashing banger is no small feat, but Ræ pulls it off with the vulnerable finesse of an Olivia Rodrigo cut.
“Being in love feels infinite, divine, dualistic, and simultaneous,” Ræ explained in a press statement. “Surrendering to the divinity in someone while never being able to fully articulate it.”
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Zëta Ræ is the musical project of singer-songwriter and performer of Nashville’s Hannah Schmeling. INFATUATED follows a slew of fellow releases to be shared by Ræ this year, having treated fans to the EP everywhere you go is a garden in January, and the standalone single ilove the following month.
Get love-drunk with Zëta Ræ’s new single INFATUATED below.
