An emotive pop success that balances string-laden fervor and thumping electro-pop energy, “Don’t Lookie look” is a standout new single from Stephanie Happening. The project represents the alter ego of a male London-based artist who has Dissociative Identity Disorder — an experience reflected in the project’s fused ethos (“of feminine and masculine energy”), and in this single itself. “Stephanie isn’t a performance; he’s a genuine voice in my being,” the artist explains, noting that the track “mirrors the lived experience of Dissociative Identity Disorder: the urge to hide fractured selves from prying eyes, yet an inherent need for acknowledgment.”
“Don’t Lookie look” kicks off with electrifying strings, quivering with infectious allure as galloping rhythms and a playful bass pulse emerge quickly alongside. “Say you love the way I hide, but crave the storm behind my pride,” the vocals let out, capturing the allure of emotional concealment, while hinting at a deeper desire to confront the turmoil beneath the surface. A title-touting contagiousness takes hold thereafter, dazzling in its melodic immediacy as the strings re-emerge at the track’s mid-point.
A soulful vocal ascent invigorates into another title-based refrain into the final minute, and into a sating finale as the vocals declare “I’m the blink before regret / See me now, you won’t forget” with ghostly precision. “Don’t Lookie look” is a riveting success from Stephanie Happening, enamoring with an artfully climactic and heartfelt production.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
