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Pillowprince's second single may seem lighthearted with a title like "R the Straights Ok" but beneath the surface, varied levels of satire carry the song's weight. The single, set to feature on Pillowprince's debut EP, pretty, baby!, out in Spring 2025, is topical, timely, and essential for everyone, whether you are straight, an ally, or LGBTQIA+.

"R the Straights Ok" takes lyrical inspiration from things people, aka potential bigots, have said to the band members over the years. Over thrumming basslines, sultry guitar riffs, and driving percussion, they take jabs at the privileged position of the white heterosexual individual, with lead singer and guitarist Olivia Lee crooning, "Wouldn't you wanna be like me?" and "Honestly you should give up your silly art thing and get a real job." It continues, "Why don't you fix your hair like me? / You could clean up really nice/ Baby you could be a smoke show, all you need is a little makeup, a dress in the summer/ To find a breadwinner like the rest of us," stating the clear agenda and thought process of those afraid of authentic people who express their individuality.

The song comes to a close on a note that is equally funny, sad, and ironic. Kim sings to the audience, "Then we can cheat on our husbands with each other sometimes / Can you keep a little secret between just you and I?" After all of the conformity and stripping of their individuality, it's revealed that they're not happy with the life they tried so hard to achieve, hooking up with someone on the side and showcasing their true colors and their actual place on the Kinsey scale.

'"R the Straights OK" is a playful dig at homophobia, and the lyrics are some things people have said to us over the years," shared Lee. "We wanted to make an unapologetically queer music video that shows some of the beautiful beacons of light in the Bay Area queer and kink community. In a time when we're actively being targeted, dehumanized, and erased, I think it's more important than ever to show authentic queer and trans embodiment and joy. 'I wanted to show something more than what's deemed respectable enough for corporate rainbow washing. I wanted to show desire dripping with subversion and what it's like when we're on our best freak behavior. We live in our own expansive universe where we don't abide by the rigid rules of acceptability. I want to show that we dissent and that queers have more fun."

This idea is taken to a logical and delightful extreme in the accompanying music video's unabashed, brutally honest depiction of various queer and kink experiences. Opening with a calming yet tantalizing ASMR section, the video launches into intimate and raw vignettes featuring sex workers, couples, and performers freely expressing and exercising their desires. Ultimately, the video is a fun and beautiful depiction of a community thriving and sharing in their joy.

Watch the "R the Straights OK" video below: