In her latest single, "Lover Like That," Kylie Rothfield perfectly captures the emotional bite of a one-sided situationship in a daydreamy alt-pop track that sits with you long. A collaboration with the queer alt-pop artist Mothé, this moody but warm duet reveals the sort of personal insight that comes only after the fog of romance has lifted, and Rothfield accomplishes it with the kind of openness that feels both cathartic and quietly potent.
Tucked amid floaty guitar riffs and cushioned with ethereal vocal layers, "Lover Like That" hums like an extended release of breath after you've held too much in for too long. There is also a subtle playboy editorial gloss to the production, a collaboration between Rothfield and Mothé, that feels less like wallowing and more like contemplation. You can feel the emotional distance grow in real-time, shrouded in sleek textures that draw influence from Djo and Chappell Roan but maintain Rothfield's personal indie touch.
Rothfield not only describes the picture she paints herself of a toxic connection but also names her own boundary inside of it. "Lover Like That" is the sound of someone realizing, "I want more. I deserve more." And that realization doesn't bring with it rage or theater but arrives with peace, sadness, and, at last, self-respect. There's a richness to Rothfield's vocal delivery that summons the emotional depth of an Allen Stone but simultaneously has the softness of someone whispering to themselves late at night. It's not just about nailing someone for being a poor prospect for a relationship but about facing your own patterns, your own fears, and finally deciding to shut that shit down, once and for all.
"Lover Like That" is a track that unfolds like a slow, graceful unraveling. It's for everyone who has ever tried to be chill about love and failed at it and been honestly terrified of what it might mean to be a swoony, hopelessly obsessed human being about love, and that has been all of us at some point. In this release, Kylie Rothfield shows us she's engraving personal truths in sound. In doing so, she is speaking for the quiet power that also comes from knowing what kind of love you no longer want to settle for.
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