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Photo: Tanner James

New Jersey native and creative boundary pusher Riovaz is back with another banger with the release of "the Rake." Framed with gloomy piano chords and sputtering synths, the track leads listeners down a rabbit hole of ominous, inviting dancefloors with its moody production and leaves fans craving more once the short yet magnetic effort comes to a close.

"the Rake" opens with a parade of spacey piano chords before launching listeners into a world full of haunting vocals and dark, hypnotic beats and synths. He teases the chorus, "The changes in my life I blame on you / I can't complain girl it feels better now," as the sonic space he's crafted around him intensifies and morphs into a digital blizzard of whistling, twinkling soundscapes that materialize and disappear at a moment's notice. 

Throughout the track, he questions, "Is it all for nothing?" expressing that he feels in his bones that maybe it is. He tells his lover, "Just follow my words, and I'll keep you safe / I'm taking my thoughts away to take all the pain away." At the same time, the world he's carefully constructed weaves itself around his addictively lulling vocals, ebbing and flowing until the track comes to a satisfying close.

"the Rake" follows the success of the artist's last single, "waiting alonE," a soulful, energetic, and disruptive track, featuring none other than fellow rising star Kanii. The track found the young musician expanding his sonic and creative horizons with an intoxicating yet sinister piece of electro-pop that further cemented his ever-evolving skillset and desire for experimentation.

Listen to "the Rake (can't complain)" below: