With almost 12 million monthly Spotify listeners, Jeremy Zucker is one of the faces of the indie pop scene. His collaborations with Chelsea Cutler, such as “this is how you fall in love” and “you were good to me,” though recent, could be considered staples in the modern era of the genre. He has also collaborated with Quinn XCII, blackbear, Tate McRae, and BENEE.
He has gelled with every one of those artists, easily establishing an emotional connection musically. His style is laid back yet vulnerable and consistent storytelling that has allowed him to build a dedicated audience across the world.
His new song “OK” is out now… a timely release after wrapping up his run as the opening act for The Kid LAROI’s recent US run.
“OK” is a tender promise to be aware of the mental health of those around him, and his wish that things get better when and how they are meant to. In a post on IG, he didn’t give much away but stated the song is the beginning of a new era. “I just wanted to say that I’ve learned to hold a lot of things sacred in life and, without sounding preachy, I think it’s really important to care about shit. Anyways, welcome to a new era, an era that will change as I change.”
Zucker’s sensitivity flows throughout much of his music, this song included. He’s shown more of a pop-punk edge on “not ur friend,” mainstream acoustic pop blends on “comethru” and “all the kids are depressed,” and what could only be described as hyper-alternative on “julia.” His vocals tend to be modest and understated, but, like other male artists within his genre, like Lauv and Quinn, can soar at unexpected, yet always appropriate, times.
Musically, “OK” is a happy medium between his acoustic ballads and more uptempo material. It’s new territory for him, with a vibe similar to tunes from The 1975’s Being Funny In A Foreign Language.” Lyrically, his support feels genuine but not overbearing, wanting to be encouraging of the small victories: “You got out of your home / Facing the world after days all alone / It’s brave and it’s hard / But I guess… one day at a time / You’re still on my mind.”
This track may be the answer to the question we all ask… what really is the best way to help others through their mental health struggles? No solution is one-size-fits-all, but, as Zucker suggests here, we can all do a lot by just making our presence known: “I won’t let you do it / I know it’s a lot sometimes / We’ll get you through it / I barely recognize ya / I want you to be ok / So I’ll remind ya / I just want you to be OK.”
Listen to “OK” on Spotify: