Like a superlative hybrid of Prince, Billie Eilish, Mac DeMarco, Beyonce, Steve Lacy, Mitksi, and NoMBe, Quentin (any pronouns) is a musical phenomenon.
“HELLO DENIAL” is hushed at the outset. Intimate and tense. Sparsely populated and spacious in its execution. It remains this way throughout most of the verses. When the pre-chorus kicks in, it ratchets up a notch, and it gets dirty and large. By the time we reach the chorus proper, it’s epic, with a gritty, grotty undertone bubbling below the instant anthem. Lyrically, the song centres around a secretive, difficult relationship based on the titular denial. In the words of the artist: “The lyrics explore what it’s like to be someone’s secret while they refuse to acknowledge their identity”.
Despite the rather heavy subject matter, the whole thing is executed with dynamism, wit, humour, joy, and an irrepressible sense of style. Just have a look at the video. Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into the presentation here, and they have got it absolutely spot on. It’s a fierce, fluid, iconic, refreshing piece of work that perfectly accompanies the spirit of the song.
One of the first songs written for the forthcoming album TOMGIRL (coming in the spring), this tune is an indie/pop/alt-R&B trailblazer, sure to be revered in time as the voice of a generation to come. Watch the video for “HELLO DENIAL” and follow Quentin on the socials below.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
