To take a look inside someone’s mind is a precarious proposition: while some people’s heads are likely quite boring or monotonous, others would be a true danger to navigate. While we likely know those in our personal lives who fit in these not-so-descript categorizations, no imagination is necessary to visualize the inner workings of hyper-pop veteran Ravenna Golden’s mind. Pushing play on her latest single, “Contest,” will offer enough clues to piece together the fever dream of Golden’s reality: “It always feels like one big contest / Everything's all so out of context,” she offers on the chorus, her voice pulsating in synchronization with the beat. The song moves at the same pace as the adrenaline coursing through your veins when listening, with endorphins firing on all cylinders. The hyper-pop perfection of “Contest” can in part be attributed to producer Dylan Brady of 100 gecs, longtime collaborator of Golden, who earns an official credit on the track. Amongst the chaos is the visualizer, which follows the direction of Golden’s “everything’s all so out of context” sentiment. At just over a minute and a half, “Contest” is a fleeting high you can’t help but macrodosing (read: putting on repeat for a half hour). 

Having been living in the hyper-pop sound long before its mainstream popularity, Ravenna Golden is well-versed in its magnetism. Her debut album, 2015’s Girl Gone Wild, set a foundation she continues to build off of, venturing into more pop punk and indie recordings in the years following. As she diversifies her artistic portfolio, “Contest” is a return-to-form of epic proportions for Golden, a name to know and a sound to follow.

‍