Following on from last year’s big, impassioned single, Never Loved Somebody, US musician Kylie Rothfield is back with her new single, Temporary. Where Never Loved Somebody was an epic slice of emotive pop, Temporary is a more muted and understated affair.

Opening with clipped percussion and a Hooky-esque New Order bass line, Temporary shimmers with a series of close cinematic synth tones that underline Rothfield’s (once again) beautiful, crisp and glassy vocal. The song’s bruising lyrics pair with a streamlined, restrained production, the streamlined and detached sound reflecting Rothfield’s own disassociation from her situation and emotional state. As she sings the song’s chorus, it’s clear that this is a song about opting to stay in a situation where you are knowingly hurting yourself in an attempt to put off future, inevitable, pain:

“I blocked your phone on Saturday,
I keep on calling anyway,
We’re always acting like it’s not…
Temporary”

Temporary was written and produced by Kylie, alongside queer indie alt-pop artist Mothé, and takes inspiration from the likes of The Strokes and The Cure. Check it out below, and look out for Kylie Rothfield’s debut album, due in sprint 2025:

Hailing from the US, Kylie Rothfield signed her first publishing deal back in 2015. Since then, she has been making music and touring, with Never Loved Somebody representing her latest release.

On her new single, Rothfield depicts a relationship tinged with a sour sense of apathy as she sings of loving someone incapable of reciprocating her emotional investment. Kylie’s vocal is undeniably the start of the show here, as she transitions from intimate narratives in the song’s verse to a rousing crescendo of a chorus. Where the performance is heartfelt and hurt in Never Loved Somebody’s quieter moments, Rothfield drives her message with a sense of self-assurance as things build.

Beyond Rothfield’s impassioned vocals, Never Loved Somebody is surrounded by deftly performed and carefully produced instrumentation, creating a rich and timeless aesthetic. This is particularly the case in the song’s final minute, where Rothfield’s delivery flies above a bridge that basks in a more rock-oriented sound, before descending into a final round of that rousing chorus.

Overall, Never Loved Somebody is nothing less than a powerhouse of a performance — emotive, dramatic, and yet intimate.