Boston-based singer-songwriter Ren McLean‘s consuming new track “Oil and Water” turns the aftermath of codependency into a riveting dark-pop composition, using dynamic textures and escalating vocal intensity in mirroring the strain of an imbalanced relationship. Co-written and produced with Dan Sivachenko, the single is part of McLean’s forthcoming concept EP Wildfire, a larger narrative exploring heartbreak, identity, and self-discovery.
Trickling acoustics and dreamy synth adornments open the track, followed by McLean’s lush vocal presence. “Sick of sitting still with you,” she lets out, crafting the imagery of a still painting, comprised of oil and water. “Hold you up, let me down,” her vocals continue, more descriptive of a one-sided relationship, where one suffers at the expense of carrying another; the poetic illustration of a codependent relationship, using oil and water as metaphors, is captivating throughout.
“Oil and water, I’m someone’s daughter, your lamb to slaughter, ’cause I let you,” her layered vocal entrancement moves into a riveting chorus, where the more impassioned vocal presence — bolstered by a backing scream around the “I’m sorry” refrain — further captures the dichotomy between oil’s viscous, suffocating force and water’s tendency to keep both afloat and cohesive. “The person I’m singing about is the oil: suffocating, near impossible to cleanse from my heart, volatile,” McLean explains. “I’m the water: a source of stability, keeping them afloat amidst the chaos, my love completely see through.”
The fantastic track is accompanied by a striking music video, with imagery of water, forest, and ritual crafting the presence of a relationship that has reached its demise, ultimately captured in the view of a decayed skeleton. Excelling in its metaphorical thematic prowess, dreamy dark-pop allure, and fantastic music video, “Oil and Water” is a thorough success from Ren McLean, whose upcoming EP we’re now certainly anticipating.
Cover Photo Credit: Maya Seri
The post Ren McLean – “Oil and Water” appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.
