Kleo’s single Miss You floats on buoyant, cotton-soft, melodies with layered instrumentation, providing her fragile vocal with a heartfelt canvas. Drums pump with the kind of momentum found within the krautrock-styled rhythms of War On Drugs, whilst folky piano keys and glittering guitars shine with the kind of brightness found in the polished-yet-earthy pop of Haim and Clairo.
All of which is to say, Kleo has hit upon a sound that feels like it will be as at home on the radio as it is on the pages of Pitchfork. This is pop music made to move, yet produced with a deft hand. The emotional pull here isn’t necessarily particularly complex, but maybe it doesn’t need to be. We all have, and will, miss people, and Kleo’s earnest portrayal captures the very aesthetic of that feeling. The pace and speed of Miss You feels like the rush and excitement when you close down the miles and minutes separating you from the people whose connection you most crave.
I recently spent a week in the US for work, only to discover I had contracted COVID-19 when I got home. I subsequently spent another ten-days isolating from my family (and anyone else, for that matter) at home. There was a point where I found myself a little overwhelmed by the experience of only having my own company. I missed being in a room with someone else, of having the stimulus that comes from sharing space with some separate intelligence. I couldn’t wait for it to end, and Kleo’s eager emotion speaks to my experience.
Kleo’s music typically comes from time spent working behind a piano, where she explores her love of transcendental meditation, Vedic astrology, hyper romance, rock ‘n’ roll and big pop. Check out her beautiful song, Miss You, below.