Oslo’s singer-songwriter Marie Ulven, better known as girl in red, has unveiled a brand new track from her upcoming sophomore EP. Following up on “i need to be alone.” and “dead girl in the pool.”, “i’ll die anyway.” is another slice of anxiety-loaded bedroom pop. About this existential new song, the 20-year-old singer stated:

[su_quote]I think this is the most honest song I’ve written on how I perceive my life. Understanding life and what it means to be human is difficult. I’ve always questioned my existence, meaning, time and the universe. All I know is that I don’t know.[/su_quote]

Watch the accompanying video and check her upcoming live shows below.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MMa35B3HT8″]

September

05 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn US

07 – The Foundry, Phily US

09 – U Street Music Hall, Washington US

10 – Brighton Music Hall, Boston US

12 – Le Ministere, Montreal US

13 – Hard Luck Bar, Toronto CA

14 – Deluxx Fluxx, Detroit US

16 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago US

19 – Lost Lake, Denver US

20 – In The Venue, SLC US

22 – Holocene, Portland US

23 – Crocodile, Seattle US

25 – Great American Music Hall, SF US

27 – Voodoo Room, San Diego US

28 – Constellation Room, Santa Ana

29 – Teragram Ballroom, LA US

October

28 -Dublin Academy Green Room, Ireland

29 – Electric Ballroom, London

Marie Ulven, professionally known as girl in red, carved out a space in queercore notoriety with her 2018 EP, Chapter One. Released while Ulven was still in high school, this debut project mostly detailed the growing pains of growing up as a queer teen with tracks sharing stories about the frustration that comes with failing in love with your best friend and short-lived but beautiful romances with hits such as “i wanna be your girlfriend” and “we fell in love in october.”

Ulven‘s latest release finds the Oslo native less smitten and more introspective. “i need to be alone.” opens with a familiar feeling of adolescent ennui, as she sings, “I’m wasting my life on pointless things / I sometimes think / When does life begin.” As she reaches the chorus, girl in red repeats ad naseam, “I need to be alone / Or I’m going to lose my shit.” It may seem a bit ironic that a 20 year-old DIY star who’s preparing to embark on an international tour is singing about boredom and dissatisfaction, but the sentiment remains relatable: Who doesn’t crave a bit of solace in today’s world? Rife with beachy guitars and wispy vocals, the track is an easy listen.

Ulven began releasing songs in English on SoundCloud after a professionally produced Norwegian album didn’t take off as anticipated. That said, the team surrounding girl in red seem to strongly push the idea that girl in red is a self-made star. Her past releases have all exhibited the same practiced casualness: The production is good but not great; her lyrics are intimate without ever straying away from relatable; all songs are listed in purposefully lowercase letters. On the surface, “i need to be alone.” seems no different: First released as a stripped-down YouTube video published in 2018, this reworked, upbeat rendition easily gains comparisons to the likes of Frankie Cosmos and Clairo. As Ulven continues to gain acclaim, she may face the same challenges that her so-called “bedroom pop” contemporaries have struggled with before her: How do you maintain a cool, DIY aesthetic while enjoying the press, industry attention, and numbers of mainstream success? The answer remains unclear.

Norway’s singer-songwriter Marie Ulven, better known as girl in red, is not even 20 that she has already gathered all the attention with her melancholic, DIY pop. With the intimate and contemplative “Watch you sleep.”, her first offering of 2019 and hypothetically one of the tracks from her upcoming sophomore EP chapter 2, the queer artist restores the original purpose of bedroom pop. About the track, she detailed:

[su_quote]I wrote “watch you sleep.” in one sitting at 2am. In my head I had this short film playing in my head of a memory I have. I just wrote what I saw and felt. It was really weird and overwhelming. I literally cried while making this cause it made me so emotional. The song is really different from everything that’s out so far. This song shows a completely different side of me. That’s exciting and scary.[/su_quote]