Bestfriend Begs the Question in an Indie Pop Dreamscape: "WHY DO WE DO THIS?"
It’s been over a year since Bestfriend, made up of Vancouver based Stacy Kim and Toronto based Kaelan Geoffrey, released music, but they are back with their latest single “WHY DO WE DO THIS.” The song questions why and how we continue to push through life despite self-doubt, loneliness, and self-inflicted pressure.
The first verse immediately dives into the themes of the song with Bestfriend singing “I’ve been loving too tightly / Feeling so lonely / Thought I was dying.” The synth sounds and vocal modulation throughout the song emulate the confusing and overwhelming feelings that the lyrics are referencing. The repetition of “Why do we do this” in the chorus is exactly what happens when you spiral and get stuck on a single thought. Despite its somber lyrics, the song's catchy beat keeps it from feeling like a full blown panic attack and instead serves as a reminder that everyone has moments where they feel low.
Speaking on the song Bestfriend shared, “There’s this thing that happens to us when we go through hardship where we start to tighten our grip on the things in life we love and care about—and therefore are afraid to lose. This pops up in our relationships, in our work, in our money, in our art, and often has the contradictory and unintended effect of no longer bringing our truest selves to these things. When that switch flips, we are operating nearly universally under decisions made by fear and self-preservation. A watched pot never boils; a phone waiting for a call never rings; a love scaffolded by fear is no longer a love at all. To love is to let go, and none of us seem capable of doing so.”
The song's accompanying lyric video features the two members walking in front of a variety of green screened backgrounds, including Animal Crossing, a forest, and other abstract psychedelic backgrounds. The chaos of the backgrounds fits perfectly with the unstable and unsure feeling that runs through “WHY DO WE DO THIS.”
Looking to the future, Bestfriend is opening for Valley in Toronto on December 13th, and has plans to release a larger project next spring.
