Leading up to her tours with slowthai and Omar Apollo, 21-year-old Deb Never dropped her latest single, “Crutches”. The track feels both grungy and peaceful, and Never’s spacey vocals and alternative hip-hop sound ‘never’ fail to disappoint.

Admittedly, I didn’t know about Deb Never until late 2021. My first exposure was when I saw her live at Aries’ Wunderworldfest in November, but I quickly did a deep dive on her discography after. I was immediately hooked by her catchy melodies and relatable lyrics. If you haven’t heard her album, Where Have All The Flowers Gone?, stop reading this and go listen.

To me, the Spokane, Washington native seems like a girl version of Dominic Fike. They both have an alternative sound with hip-hop influence. They’ve both collaborated with Kenny Beats and Brockhampton. They both have a Calvin Klein sponsorship. And they’ve even gone on tour together. It’s only a matter of time before Deb picks up acting.

“Crutches” could be interpreted in multiple ways, but I like to think it’s a warning against rushing into things. The lyrics seem to dance around the idea that she’s ignoring self-care and reason because she’s “tired of waiting for better days.” Whether she’s talking about her music, relationships, or something else, is open to interpretation, but it’s a message many can relate to. The only side note I have here is that you should not follow the example set in her line “when I’m crossing the road, I’m not looking both ways.” Please look both ways.

Make sure to catch her on tour, and in the meantime, stream her new single, “Crutches”, below.

‍

‍