If you held me down and forced me to sum up my feelings on “Doin’ Fine!”, the new single from the artist ren, but you were extremely hopped up on shortform culture (maybe with bath salts) and screeched, knife in hand, that I had to say it in one word, it’d be this: Coy.
And – shock of shocks – they’re willing to let us hang on whether or not the lyrical content is meant to be taken in earnest or in irony.
Who needs birthdays anyway?
When you always know the right words to say
Is she being passive-aggressive here? Is everything actually okay? Please put down the knife, sir. Please—shit—fine, okay! I think that’s the right read, alright? Jesus. I think the verses and the choruses are meant to be taken in irony. But there’s enough of a softness to go the other way, if that’s your preference.
Musically, we’re under the so-broad-it-may-as-well-be-nothing capital-I Indie category. The song is absolutely made for an A24 movie that won’t get an Oscar nod, and it will be a CRIME I’m still mad about years later.
The way we downshift dynamically for each chorus, sort of a reverse “Island in the Sun”, is delightful and got a laugh out of me the first time. By the time we hit the post-bridge chorus and really ramp things up, the listener is primed to enjoy the hell out of this big boisterousness, in part because we’ve been waiting for it. That’s great songwriting/production. I’m a fan.
Take a listen to “Doin’ Fine!” below.
Written by Willow Stonebeck
