Sometimes relationships get caught up in the ‘prettiness’ of things. It’s all about looking perfect with your lover and causes you to avoid toxicities within that relationship. We live in a world where perfection is the key, and we strive to look perfect to those around us. Social media is a huge guideline for this, and indie-pop artist Daulton Hopkins agrees. He actually wrote an entire song about it, ‘Pretty Obsession.’ “Some moments aren’t meant to be shared and some things are designed to be intimate without the interruption. Scrolling past videos of “perfect couples” walking through a date, displaying breakfast in bed, or surprising their partners with something unexpected is comical when really thinking about how the video was made – typically all staged and all planned with a camera filming every moment. The action’s integrity becomes bankrupt and it’s sad. I hope we can just go on dates without tech.” In ‘Pretty Obsession’ he’s really exploring the concept of social media and its detriment to romance.
‘Pretty Obsession’ by Daulton Hopkins is such a beautiful song. Its bright synths and guitar and its somber vocals create the perfect indie synth-pop dreamscape. It sounds like a mellowed-out Autumn day and has a sort of emotionally ambiguous sound. The bright instrumentation builds a nice warmness to it, but the somberness in the vocals creates a little more of a sad sort of sound. It’s a track that refuses to be anything but dynamic. Different synth sounds are used throughout different sections to truly pull the listener into an entire experience. This experience also feels as if it jumps through emotions in a realistic way. This fits perfectly within the lyricism. The vocals are so smooth and nice, and the production really helps every sound get a chance to shine.
‘Pretty Obsession’ is so well written. It tells the tale of a toxic relationship, one where obsession takes hold and causes you to stay within it. “All of the pressure, love has got us carried away / No matter what I, think that I can pin it to / Pretty obsession, taking me a million ways / I hate you, I try to,” Daulton sings with snappy and precise vocals. This really captures the polarisation within the lyricism, and the whole song is spattered with these flowery lovey lyrics and darker ones. He states himself that the track is about the dissonance created by relationships and social media. Everyone’s thinking about capturing the perfect pretty moment on video, and that steals from possibly intimate moments. Everyone’s chasing the ‘prettiness’ rather than the person right in front of them. The lyricism really captures the same feeling as the music, and it’s overall an amazing track.
Daulton Hopkins, self-proclaimed ‘music guy’ on Instagram, is an up-and-coming indie-pop musician. He creates gorgeous tracks, utilizing both acoustic and electronic sounds to make smooth and captivating music. He cites some of his sources as being M83, Radiohead, and Frank Ocean, and he’s been featured on numerous editorial Spotify playlists. He’s also played at the Mesa Music Festival and has been played on the local alt radio. Daulton created ‘Pretty Obsession in his room, mainly doing vocals and using his own instruments. Then it was sent over to Keaton Leander to produce and mix it. Daulton started off on the acoustic guitar, and his goal is to bring that more into his indie-pop style. ‘Pretty Obsession’ was just released on September 15th, 2021, so it’s available now!
Written by Sage Plapp
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