LA-based duo EXES have released their new single “Girl Of My Dreams” featuring the emotive vocals of Luke Wild.
Under dreamy, slow-tempo production, EXES singer Allie McDonald and Wild go back and forth in a dismal dynamic exploring the familiar pessimism that pervades modern relationships (“And I hate myself / I think you do too / Don’t take a picture / We won’t make it through.”) It starkly demonstrates the sense of inevitability when a connection is fraying further and further until nothing can keep you together.
Initially starting off with the slow-paced guitars and minimalist drumming, the song eventually unfurls into a comfortingly dreamy and cinematic production of strings, horns and ethereal backing vocals. Both McDonald and Wild prove to have a vocal chemistry that effectively conveys sadness and cynicism in equal measure (“You’re always right / I wanna fight / But I’ll pack my shit if you’ve made up your mind.”)
McDonald has said of the track, “It is not a love song. It is not a song about falling–it’s a song about falling apart. It’s a song about a flame burning brightest just before it goes out.”
It’s truly a paradoxical dynamic where two people cannot help but clash and feel at odds with both themselves and each other as proven in the lyrics: “Promise me I’m the one you won’t forget / I’ll do whatever it takes to forget.” It shows that they both yearn for the impossible: they want the other to mourn the loss of their relationship while they try to pretend disaffection.
“Girl of My Dreams” is the latest track from their upcoming album Don’t Give Up On Me Now, due out February 4, 2022, and you can check it out below or via your favorite provider.
