One momentary glance transfigures into the potent fixation at the heart of romæo’s new track, “stare.” The second single by the Sydney-based artist flips between two modes of insecure heartache: the first, a haunted, truncated, confessional sing-song; the next, a trance-like litany of the pressing questions which circulate through a lovelorn mind. Sonic distortions disrupt purity of intention, pushing the romantic vulnerability of the lyrics through a filter of desperation. Similarly, the music video traces the song’s polarity through glitched visions of a night spent in an improbable open-air living room, where romæo is simultaneously within and without. Sometimes spare, sometimes lush, “stare” is attuned to the petrified intoxication of new lust and makes for an engaging and unexpected listen.
Riffs & Rhymes 