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Photo: Stu Robinson; Edit: Yana Pan

Oregon's very own Khai Dreams continues to usher in a new era and showcase their stellar songwriting skills with the release of their latest single, "Rats." The single is a poignant glimpse into the artist's psyche as they deal with the weight of anxiety and depression with crushing honesty.

The song, in short, is upbeat with very sad lyrics, but it's perhaps the purest iteration of that concept—the perfect blend of happy/sad. The melody earworms its way into the most empathetic parts of your brain as acoustic guitars and cut-short drum beats lighten the mood. However, the grim lyrics depict an uncomfortably relatable depressive episode and offer little relief. The song melts into a cognitively dissonant pop jam that promises to stay with you after its short run time.

"The song started when I was listening to 'white summer and green bicycle, red hair with black guitar' by The Pillows. The lyrics and melody of the intro just came to me when I was listening to that song. I wrote the rest of the song at a time when I was feeling extremely burnt out and depressed. I felt like I had no control over my life anymore. There were things I did and situations I found myself in that were very jarring and confusing to me because I was not really present for it."

The accompanying music video, directed by Ray Mcmahon, follows Khai Dreams going about their day with a giant bug plushie. The visual includes scenes of friends, including the artist Soren whose vocals are featured on the track. The aesthetics of the track give off a wholesome DIY vibe that juxtaposes insanely emotional lyrics about mental health.

The single arrives alongside the announcement of Khai's debut album Absolute Heartbreak, set to release January 27. The 10-track project marks Khai's first full-length album. It will feature the previously released single "bugs," which arrived with the Yana Pan-directed animated video following a storyline created by Khai.