Lovejoy Asks... So, What Are We? in "Call Me What You Like"
Photo: Dan Pearce
British indie rock band Lovejoy continues to put out high-energy and deeply existential music with the release of their latest single, "Call Me What You Like." In the track, the band, comprised of guitarist and vocalist Wilbur Soot, guitarist Joe Goldsmith, bassist Ash Kabosu, and drummer Mark Boardman, lament about a confusing relationship with thrumming basslines and anxiety-ridden lyrics that get listeners' hearts racing.
"Call Me What You Like" opens with warm guitar riffs and sporadic percussion, with Soot's rich vocals singing, "I never was a fan of the internet / She never felt that safe in her own head / We both hate the news / There for the grace of God goes you." The chorus bursts into a flurry of angsty soundscapes, including driving guitars, crashing percussion, and unrelenting bass lines. Soot shares, "It's about the phase in any kind of relationship that isn't a relationship yet, where you're not sure of the 'what are we?' That idea that you want it to be more than just a fling, but you're struggling with the commitment."
In the climactic bridge, things get painfully meta when the singer expresses that he's absolutely aware that he is engaging in self-destruction and self-harm in chasing his lover down whatever path he needs to to be with her. He knows, furthermore, that this makes him "a total fucking dumbass" because he is willfully hurting himself and setting himself up for failure. Throughout the preceding lines, the singer's anxiety about his relationship, life, and path to happiness boils over. Finally, Soot acknowledges, "I'm not paranoid, I'm a realist / I know you're gonna kill me."
The accompanying music video, directed by bass guitarist Ash Kabosu, focuses on frontman Soot as he travels on a plane. Without breaking his gaze with the camera, he remains utterly oblivious to the increasingly strange and chaotic events unfolding around him, choosing to continue obsessing over his current love interest.
The band declared on Twitter that the single marks "a new era of Lovejoy." In 2022, the group amassed a legion of fans in the aftermath of their 2021 EP Pebble Head. In 2023, Lovejoy are hitting the road on a sold-out UK tour next month before they head out on a 20-date, coast-to-coast US tour starting May 4.
Watch the "Call Me What You Like" video below:
