I am a sucker for any music that takes me back. Slush Puppy‘s first single of 2021, “Juliette,” does exactly that. The up-and-coming altpop artist’s style and lyrics evoke all the feelings of listening to some of our favorite emo bands of years gone by. Slush Puppy, though, is the next generation to not just make his mark on the genre but give it his own spin.
“Juliette” — with its driving beat and relatable as fuck lyrics — is a story we all know. Slush Puppy shared in a press release, “‘Juliette’ is the classic high school story of outcast boy wanting the coolest girl, but only being in love with a glamorized version of her. We romanticize people and build them up in our head so much that we catch feelings without really knowing them. We only see people’s highlights on social media and it is so easy to think that the person you see online is an accurate representation IRL. This song is about putting someone on a pedestal and becoming obsessed with the ‘best version’ of them and basking in their perfection without really seeing any of their flaws.”
He got me right in the heart with this one, and all I can think about is all the stupid boys in high school who were not worth my time but who took up too much headspace. Slush Puppy sings over and over, “She don’t know my name / But I love her anyway” and not only is this the ultimate earworm of a lyric, but it’s that feeling that everyone’s experienced — myself very much included.
“Juliette” was co-written and co-produced with Tom Randolph (YUNGBLD, Kiiara, Carlie Hanson) and serves as the kickoff for Slush Puppy’s upcoming EP. If this song is at all indicative of what the rest of the EP will sound like, I’m more than ready to hear the rest.
