KEANA Syncs a Dissolving Relationship to Dreamy-Electro pop on "In My Head (Ah Ah)"

East Los Angeles-based artist KEANA has unveiled a new single with the release of “In My Head (Ah Ah),” a melodically effervescent retelling of a relationship that’s beginning to crumble apart. It’s also the third single she’s released this year, following the drops of “Cosmic” and “The Fall.” And with just the handful of releases that she’s put out — their sole writer and producer to boot — she’s made waves with her transfixing, ambient-minded creations. On “In My Head (Ah Ah),” once more KEANA’s electric dream-pop soundscapes provide the perfect setting to channel all her frenetic sadness into a spiraling, dance-ready track.

^{This post may contain affiliate links. Ads and affiliate links are how independent blogs like Grimy Goods can operate and pay our staff. Thank you for supporting our work and being a part of our music community.}

“Cracking jokes but you’re not laughing / You say it’s funny but you show no reaction,” KEANA ponders in the song’s moody opening seconds. “Something’s going on that I’m not grasping.” It’s a feeling no doubt many people can relate to, a sense that the mutual nature of a relationship is starting to disintegrate. Denial plays a large part and amidst the swelling electronica KEANA and her soon-to-be checked-out partner both succumb to it. And on “In My Head (Ah Ah)” she offers a hypnotic and illustrative vision of it all.

Like any good pop song, the dreamy buoyancy of “In My Head (Ah Ah)” masks a lot of the dreariness but that doesn’t prevent it from bleeding through. And true to KEANA’s own love of dualities — even the song’s most vibrant textures and enthused beats appear to have double meanings. As the song continues and after each new listen, the longing melancholy and heartache within saturates into view more and more, not unlike the growing feelings of apathy that KEANA starts to notice unfolding in her partner.