There's a common myth that what we put out into the world is naturally what we can expect to receive in return. Like a universal law of attraction, who we are within is who we inevitably draw towards us. In his most recent release “Red Velvet," King Ivy explores this concept speaking of a time when he sought to use love as an emotional bandaid, yet found that its impermanence only led him to confront his own emotional crux.

Given King Ivy’s previous discography, “Red Velvet” is a fitting addition to a line of singles in which the Australian artist pairs uptempo slinky beats with the strain of impending, yet entangled love interests. In each one, he twists the conventional love ballad to portray an introspective POV to romance revealing his own internal anxieties. “Red Velvet” is a track that plays with a similar dissonance found in both its production and lyrics. A repeating minor guitar measure throughout the track resonates through a downward spiral of chords, as the notes struggle to line up its lack of harmony continues to be humanized through its accompanying lyrics.

While singing about a love that saved him, the slow and muted harmonies tell a darker story of a romance that ultimately did the opposite, singing “As time went on I felt unwell, a second choice in your own world, something bout you felt so fake to me.”

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