L Devine
This week: “Naked Alone” by L Devine (Warner Records, 2019)
Why we’re into it: Groovy and sexy, Devine’s newest single is a reminder of the pop star’s talent for finding universality in the specifics.
When she made her Mother Jones debut back in January with her heart-wrenching—and very gay—track “Daughter,” Olivia Devine proved to us one thing: She could find the universal in even the most particular of experiences. The song was partly a confession and partly a love letter. Devine dived into one of the most sacred queer experiences—coming out—and delivered her fans a formidable message of love and tenacity. In her latest single, “Naked Alone,” Devine again locates the universal in a specific impulse: horniness.
The song kicks off with what I can only call an incredibly extraterrestrial jive, before quickly moving into the groovy heartbeat that pulses through the song. “Satisfied,” she sings, “the only feeling I ain’t felt for time.” But it’s not long before she launches into the raunchiness that truly makes this song the “horny summer anthem” it is. “Well I hit up every name in my contacts, but I can’t even get one text back, all I really need is some sex, ya feel me?”
But Devine shines most as the chorus hits. “No,” she sings, her voice aching. “I can’t take another night on my own, need another body here to keep warm, always hated sleeping naked alone.” The keys behind her voice rise and fall as the percussion picks up, turning the already singable chorus into a danceable one, too.
There’s nothing more personal than the internal stirrings of someone trying to get laid, but Devine makes sure to lay down a beat we can all move to. Horny as hell, with nowhere to go with it but right into the bassline, Devine has produced an undeniable song of the summer.
