Wotts’ newest single NOT US, released March 28, 2025, is a neon-tinged dive into nostalgia, regret, and emotional inertia, wrapped in a kaleidoscope of shimmering indie pop. With their signature blend of retro sounds and modern sensibilities, the Ottawa-based duo crafts a track that hits both the heart and the hips.
From the first second, NOT US announces itself boldly. Shaking percussion and vibrant guitars kick the track into gear, followed by a rippling piano that prattles and twinkles like sunlight on water. Drums thump hard and fast with the real Stewart Copeland energy, with The Police’s influence hardening.
Then Jayem’s voice comes in, washed out, breathy, and floating above the fray. He sings like someone peering into the past through a foggy window, every phrase tinged with loss and almost-anger. His tone shifts effortlessly from airy lament to smug defiance, especially on the hook, where the repetition of “no no no no not us” turns from melancholic to hypnotic.
The lyrics are dense with emotional imagery. We get “cut down heart drag below,” “old strings they pluck and sow,” and “five steps gotta pass still rowing”—all which attemps to understand a breakup from every angle: guilt, blame, bitterness, longing. The repetition of phrases like “never grow the grip it sit numbing” captures the paralysis that can follow loss, a kind of emotional stasis wrapped in a danceable package.
That’s where Wotts shines. NOT US is part of their self-proclaimed “happy sad” aesthetic. In terms of sonic progression, this feels like a bold leap forward for Wotts. The instrumentation is fuller, the production crisper, and the structure more adventurous.
NOT US is the first look into the FLANK! EP. So stay tuned with Wotts.
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Photo Credit: Rainbow Studios
Review by: Naomi Joan