Exzenyaโs new single โIntermittent Loveโ kicks the door wide open with a heavy, hypnotic and unsettling bassline and a snapping rhythm that feels both. Thereโs this gritty, glitchy buzz running underneath, like static you canโt quite shake, and it sets the stage for her deep, gravelly voice to come pouring. At first, she sings with a kind of dejected, yearning restraint. But halfway through, her delivery sharpens, her urgency rises, and suddenly youโre right there in the heat of her emotional storm.
Lyrically, โIntermittent Loveโ is a masterclass in translating psychological theory into something you can feel. Exzenya takes the concept of intermittent reinforcement, a behavioral cycle of unpredictable affection and punishment, and breathes ache into it. One moment, the lyrics recall tenderness and intimacy (โYou used to touch me with strong hands / Like my body was a wonderlandโ), and the next, they plunge into cold withdrawal and cutting words (โThen refuse to touch me at all / Just what were you portraying?โ). She refrains, โWhy did you do what you had done?โ incantatorily, like the unanswered questions that haunt anyone whoโs been trapped in that push-pull dynamic.
What really makes the track stick, though, is its duality. The beat lulls you in with a sultry groove, while the words claw at your chest. Itโs moody enough for a late-night slow burn, but emotionally charged enough to leave you staring at the ceiling long after it ends. Exzenya mixes pop, R&B, and soul, but here, the glue is her direct, unflinching storytelling. โIntermittent Loveโ is an unmasking. And once youโve heard it, good luck shaking it off.
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Review by: Naomi Joan