Pushing beyond his playlist origins, the New Zealand producer’s debut album… Read Full Bio ↴Pushing beyond his playlist origins, the New Zealand producer’s debut album revels in eccentric details while adhering to traditional pop structures. Like so many electronic artists in the mid-’10s, New Zealand’s BAYNK (Jock Nowell-Usticke) got his start making chill, pop-adjacent songs that seemed primed for placement in mood-based playlists. His early attempts at surf-bro EDM sounded like what Kygo and LeMarquis were putting out on SoundCloud at the time; he used his voice sparingly, mainly as material to be sampled. In the years since, though, he has refined his palette. On 2017’s Someone’s EP I and 2019’s Someone’s EP II, his percussion took on the rhythmic impulse of Four Tet, and his rubbery basslines and glossy experimentalism were reminiscent of early Cashmere Cat and Flume. Using his Auto-Tuned falsetto to further texturize his songs, BAYNK’s fusion of house, R&B, and pop soon set him apart from the many similar acts scattered throughout the scene.

Adolescence is BAYNK’s most meticulous work to date. It revels in eccentric, distinctive details while adhering to traditional pop structures. Most arrangements consist of grainy synth loops, plucky subs, and house-inspired drums; his digital sounds are drenched in reverb and slapped with sidechain. On the Cosmo’s Midnight-assisted “How Does it Feel?” languid synth pulses and a funky bassline give way to some of the sharpest vocal melodies on the album. “Remember,” which features Rainsford, exhibits BAYNK’s talent for peeling a heavily layered song back to its component parts before climaxing into an ecstatic yet graceful drop. This is dance music for headphones, club music for late-night walks.

The best songs on Adolescence bend toward straightforward pop formulas and, tellingly, include non-electronic instruments. “Mine” is led by quiet piano and spacey guitar, while standout “Naked” blends acoustic elements and electric bass with shimmering synths. BAYNK gives his best vocal performances here: “Get caught up on trying to pin you down/Your fingers ’round my neck, they’re feeling soft now," he coos on “Naked,” evoking the warm upper register of Whitney’s Julien Ehrlich. He’s not a great singer, as Tinashe makes plain when she steals the show on “Esther”; he scrubs clean his imperfections with layers of automation, delay, and reverb. Still, BAYNK has a keen ear for melody and knows his limits, wisely ceding the mic to guests while he works the boards.

The album is nominally a concept record about the immediacy of youth and romantic first experiences. “I went through this period of not being able to write anything,” BAYNK told Apple Music. Being in a “stable and happy relationship” wasn’t conducive to inspiration, so to get around his writer’s block, he returned to the creative cocoon of “first love.” Lyrically, the album is imagistic and vague, depicting half-baked scenes of lying in the sun, holding hands in a car, and walking through fields. The narrative never coalesces into anything meaningful, and its emotional pull wanes quickly. First love invigorates but rarely sustains; it’s BAYNK’s elastic and original production that propels the album forward, the pulse of the beat begging us to feel something beyond recognition.

How Does It Feel?
BAYNK Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you go, I don't wanna know
My dad said you were at the show all alone
Things change, yeah, they come and go
'Cause we're running outta time, I can't feel your afterglow

How does it feel to lose again?
Laying in the sun
Wishing you were numb

How does it feel to lose again?
Laying in the sun
Wishing you were numb

Heard your song on the radio
Green light, stopped the cab and said, "Gotta go"
I took your name from my telephone
And I burnt it in a pile at night and watched it explode

I feel where your touch has burned my chest
But I gotta let it go
Just don't kiss that guy from the front row
Or lie and say you won't

How does it feel to lose again?
Laying in the sun
Wishing you were numb
How does it feel to lose again?
Laying in the sun
Wishing you were numb

I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't
I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't

I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't lose

I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I just can't lose, I just can't lose

How does it feel to lose again? (I just can't lose, I just can't lose)
(I just can't lose, I just can't lose)
(I just can't lose, I just can't lose) wishing you were numb
(I just can't lose, I just can't lose)

How does it feel to lose again? (I just can't lose, I just can't lose)
(I just can't lose, I just can't lose)
(I just can't lose, I just can't lose) wishing you were numb
(I just can't lose, I just can't lose)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to BAYNK's song "How Does It Feel?" explore the complexities of a broken relationship and the aftermath of a breakup. The singer begins by expressing their reluctance to know what their former partner is up to after the separation. They recount hearing that their ex was alone at a show, indicating a sense of loneliness or longing. The line "things change, yeah, they come and go" suggests that relationships are transient and subject to change. The singer acknowledges that time is running out and laments the absence of the emotional connection they once had, unable to feel the afterglow of their past intimacy.

The chorus delves deeper into the emotional turmoil of losing again. The singer asks how it feels to experience loss, to lay in the sun and yearn to be numb, possibly as a way to escape the pain. The mention of hearing their ex's song on the radio reflects the bittersweetness of encountering remnants of the relationship in unexpected places. The line about burning the ex's name and watching it explode signifies a desire to release the emotional baggage associated with the failed romance. The singer mentions feeling the lingering touch of their ex on their chest but emphasizes the need to let go.

Line by Line Meaning

If you go, I don't wanna know
If you leave, I don't want to hear about it or acknowledge it

My dad said you were at the show all alone
My father mentioned that you attended the event without any companion

Things change, yeah, they come and go
Situations and circumstances are constantly evolving and transient

'Cause we're running outta time, I can't feel your afterglow
As time passes, I am losing the sense of happiness and fulfillment I used to experience with you

Heard your song on the radio
I encountered your song being played on the radio

Green light, stopped the cab and said, 'Gotta go'
I saw a green traffic light, halted the taxi I was in, and informed the driver that I had to leave

I took your name from my telephone
I removed your contact information from my telephone

And I burnt it in a pile at night and watched it explode
I set fire to the collection of your contact details and observed it ignite and burst into flames at night

I feel where your touch has burned my chest
I can still sense the emotional and physical mark your touch has left on me

But I gotta let it go
However, I need to release these feelings and move on

Just don't kiss that guy from the front row
Simply refrain from engaging romantically with that individual from the audience

Or lie and say you won't
Or deceive me by claiming that you won't kiss him

I just can't lose, I just can't lose
I refuse to accept defeat, I refuse

How does it feel to lose again?
What is the sensation of experiencing loss once more?

Laying in the sun
Resting under the warm rays of the sun

Wishing you were numb
Desiring to be emotionally numb or incapable of feeling

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Annika Wells, Cosmo Liney, Jock Nowell Usticke, Patrick Liney, Rutger van Woudenberg

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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