Shears is the musical pseudonym of Edinburgh-based musician Becca Shearing. Following on from her 2021 debut EP, Mind In Decline, and last year’s sophomore release Superhues, Shears has been working on music in her home studio.
I Look At You (It’s Over) is the result of quiet, focused work in that studio. Entirely written, produced and mixed by Shears, Becca uses the song as a vehicle to bring together her love of pop and an appreciation of drum and bass production aesthetics. The result sees Shearing deliver a soaring, emotive vocal atop of rolling drums and deep, sub-bass. The song hits a magnificent stride in the final minute, layered vocals creating a building sense of momentum.
Whilst Shears’ new song sounds like it is about a person, the break-up being depicted is actually about Shearing’s relationship with her phone:
“If I’m on social media too long, my head feels cloudy and less clear, my creativity is sapped, and ultimately, I just get really down. And it’s designed to draw you in and keep you there for as long as possible. So, I try to limit my usage or make sure I’m going on social media to do something specific. When I get outside and spend time with people, that’s when I’m relaxed and happy and the melodies come back into my head.”
Songs that use a romantic relationship as an analogy for something else are relatively common, but I love the juxtaposition here. The relationship we have with our phones _is_ a notoriously intimate one, and the somewhat irritated personification leveraged by Shears on I Look At You (It’s Over) feels surprising yet true.