The Singles Bar: Nick Lopez finds himself trapped on a ‘Carousel’

Welcome to The Singles Bar, a review series focused on new single and song releases.

One bad relationship can fuck you up for life. Nick Lopez knows all too well how an on-again, off-again relationship can leave you feeling drained and miserable and damaged, even ⎯⎯ but you can’t get enough. “Pushing, pulling, kept it going / Touching, holding, I got stolen,” he snivels between bricks of finger snaps, eddying tropical synths and tribal-bowed percussion. His emotion is thick, even if the production, as sunny as it is, tries to hoodwink the listener. But let’s be clear: you’ll be dancing your face off while crying glitter-club tears. “We’re going ’round again / You’re fucking with my head,” he hisses. He’s no fool locked in foolish ways.

“It’s heartbreak season / Are you even listening?” an unnamed vocalist twirls in and out of frame, leaving dispirited traces she’s been here, too. The pair link up and separate on lyrics throughout the song’s runtime, twisting their stories together and then ripping them apart like a band aid. It’s an unforgiving display, decidedly lingering on the pain and love’s sometimes harsh, volatile habits. There’s beauty in the ashes, too; you rise like a phoenix far stronger in the end, though rock bottom can be equally devastating.

“Carousel,” co-written by Dave Kuncio (Selena Gomez) and Dru Decaro (best known as lead guitarist for Miguel), spins and spins and spins and spins, going through the motions, inhabiting an unsettling state of circular conventions. The production builds and releases, and you feel the soft, neon glow of the carnival ride lights splashing across your face. The colors should be a source of replenishment, but they only drive you body deeper into the abyss. “Now, we’re crashing / How’d this happen,” Lopez pleads. But there is really no answer, only one option but to cut the chords and run free ⎯⎯ if only he could muster up the courage.

Lopez, who has spent years writing and compiling tracks for others, is seeing a bit of a much-deserved breakout moment. “Carousel” follows such all-consuming songs as “Pink Champagne” and the Shwayze-featuring “Instinct,” and millions of Spotify streams, to boot. A San Francisco native, his young heart is like a polyester blend, somewhat elastic but durable to go the long haul. The stage is set. His turn at the spotlight is eminent.

Grade: 4 out of 5

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