Back in August, indie pop’s new kid on the block, BØRNS, gave a sampling of his 11-song LP, “Dopamine,” slated for release in October. If his single, “The Emotion,” is any indication of what can be expected from his debut LP, the album’s going to be a good one. This release follows the singles “10,000 Emerald Pools” and the popular “Electric Love” — which received an Instagram shout out from Taylor Swift, so basically BØRNS is the real deal.
“The Emotion” has certainly met the high expectations BØRNS set last November when he released his EP “Candy.” “The Emotion,” with its twinkling, fluttering opening section accentuated with electric guitar, creates a nostalgic atmosphere, one in which a sad person staring out a car window in deep reflection would find themselves. Frontman Garrett Borns delivers lyrics that are, quite frankly, emotional. “Shadows fill my mind up / Zeroes tell me my times up / I lost count so long ago / maybe my heart’s numb / don’t hold my hands accountable / they’re young and they’re dumb,” he spills into the song in high pitch, gentle Lorde-esque vocals.
The song slightly, and only slightly, increases in pace and percussion during the chorus, which repeats the song’s charged title. “The emotion’s inside of me, out of me / The emotion’s building up inside of me / And what you’re looking for is suddenly out of reach / The emotion.” The song tells the story of an introspective, defeated man diving into his own complex emotions after a depressing event.
These dark yet romantically inspired themes are not abnormal for this artist, as they were present in all four songs on “Candy.” However, it may be interesting if BØRNS explored other topics alongside his psychedelic, L.A.-inspired pop sound. In an interview with Refinery29, Garret Borns gave insight into the ground covered on “Dopamine,” stating, “There’s more substance to it … [I’ve] definitely stepped up the lyrical romance.”
Does “The Emotion” deliver on this increase in lyrical romance? Absolutely.
“Dopamine” will be released Oct. 16. Will the rest of BØRNS’ new LP heighten his own songwriting stakes?
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