Alt-pop singer-songwriter Mikey Demilio isn't just clocking time on his new single "Clock On Zero," he's rewriting the rulebook of it. On this emotive release, Demilio leans into the unvarnished corners of emo-riddled alt-pop, weaving openness and momentum in a way that comes off as both contemplative and urgent. The track operates in that sweet spot between a sharp pop structure and the unruly ethos of emo. Rich synths weave in and out of sparse guitar lines, and a driving rhythm gives the song its emotional gravity ballast. There's something cinematic about how the song assembles itself every moment, stacking carefully yet never predictably. You can hear the anxiety, the contemplation, and the simmering fury tightly woven into the production.
"Clock On Zero" is a mood swing of the highest order expressed in sound. From the opening moments, it's tense, simmering under the surface, like watching a clock inch toward an inevitable ending. Demilio injects his vocal performance with emotion but never overdoes it. It's forthright, disciplined, and well-timed, the way people speak between gritted teeth before they stop biting their tongues. "Clock On Zero" really works in its grasp of emotional contradictions. It's soft, loud, resigned, defiant, and introspective, but with the call-out. It's a breakup song, a breakdown anthem, and a breakthrough moment.
Demilio's songwriting is intensely personal but universally resonant. It's the type of song that lets you know it's okay to feel things you've swept away. Whether you're licking wounds or sussing out how time got away from you, the openness on display in this song is so cathartic that it catches you off guard and then leaves you staring at the silence where the last note used to be. On "Clock On Zero," Mikey Demilio shows that alt-pop can still bleed and that when the clock hits zero, there's always something waiting to begin.
Discover Mikey Demilio on Instagram