sky – “imaginary”
From initial attraction to physical intimacy to whatever that next step is, there’s a reason why we as humans obsess over love and all the pain it often brings. Though many go through these steps again and again throughout their lifetime, each vignette of attraction snags a piece of our hearts, nestling comfortably into a small nook in our memories.
Up and coming singer-songwriter, sky offers her artistic perspective on this phenomenon in the final installment of her 3-part single release, with slow-burning R&B ballad, “imaginary” (Aug. 30). Together with producer and writer-duo David Baca and Brandon Garcia, sky the collective takes you through what she calls “a 3-part journey of attraction.”
The first single of the voyage, “across the room” plays on those beginning feels, where pheromones and hormones rule and getting tangled in the sheets is probably inventible. With the second track, that intimacy comes into fruition and not just once but “over and over” … and over and over and hopefully over again. “over and over” has also been played over and over, bringing the independent collective notoriety through its placement on the Spotify playlist Silk Sheets and finding a home on Netflix’s Dear White People: Season 3. Boasting over 1 million plays on Spotify alone and sporting a lyric video featuring a group of beautiful women singing the lyrics directly to the camera, “over and over” has served as a landmark track for sky, segueing nicely into “imaginary.”
Like a loose faucet and its incessant drip drop of water, “imaginary” comments on those thoughts that drip drop into your conscience continuously. Following the journey, the final part comments on the uncomfortable aspects of attraction. Whether it be loving someone who is spoken for or trying to irradiate an ex-lover’s hold on your heart, “imaginary” encompasses that “hamster-wheel” of emotions. Musically, the track is a departure from the prior singles, playing heavily with rhythm and an array of sonorities, giving this single a unique edge. From sky’s smooth vocals, manipulated into tight harmonies, acting as instrumentation or the gorgeous outro featuring Baca and Garcia’s lush production, a moving violin part, and wide sweeps of distortion, the listener is left floating atop a serene sonic stream in quintessential bliss.