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Photo: SJ Spreng

Though admittedly I haven’t recovered emotionally from her last single, LA-based singer/songwriter BEL returns to listeners this month with “Cake,” her third release this year. In the wake of her prior release, the immaculate “PBR” with girlhouse, the indie-rock prodigy has been gearing up for the release of her forthcoming EP Jet Lag, and “Cake” is our newest taste (ha) of things to come. Navigating the uncertainty of young romance, BEL holds nothing back on this perfectly-polished effort. 

Though I may spend most of my time covering artists like Yeat and Cochise, I’ve always had a special soft spot for heart-wrenching melancholic indie-rock ballads. Synthesizing the earnestness of Faye Webster with the songwriting talent of Phoebe Bridgers, BEL has spent the past year delivering listeners tender yet clever anthems for your late-night drives, and “Cake” is no exception. Raw acoustic guitar chords and dulcet vocal melodies meld together in sacred harmony in BEL’s newest release, creating an indie-rock-meets-folk vibe so pastoral that it makes me reminiscent of a nature-decorated childhood that I didn’t even have. BEL effortlessly depicts herself as the subject of romantic tension, disillusionment, and indecision within the span of barely three minutes, a feeling so frustratingly relatable that I’m practically rolling my eyes as I add this to my ‘yearning’ playlist. 

Though it’s been less than a year since the release of her debut EP Muscle Memory, fans are already ravenous for new music from BEL, and I can’t blame them. With more music and visuals likely on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to be a fan of the young singer-songwriter. Until Jet Lag drops, however, you can catch me on the floor of my room with “Cake” on repeat.

Watch the "Cake" lyric video below: