Toronto synth-pop artist Ralph made a big splash last year with her debut self-titled EP, which CBC Music said, in its best songs of the year roundup, showed off “an incredible flair for spinning earworms that are on par with some of the biggest hitmakers out there right now.”
Wasting no time in 2018, Ralph is back with her first new single and music video of the year for “September Fades.” A more downtempo track than previous singles like “Cold to the Touch” and “Tease,” this new song is more of a melancholic late-night romp marked by finger snaps and squelching synths.
“I wrote it last November while staying in a motel in rural upstate New York,” Ralph tells CBC Music. “I was in a relationship with someone who showed me so much love, and although I knew I couldn’t reciprocate those feelings, I kept taking his affection because it felt so good to be taken care of.”
She continued: “It’s easy to write about the complexities of being the heartbreaker — often you don’t mean to hurt anyone but your emotional limitations can be just as damaging as words.”
The video, which was directed by Gemma Warren, takes place in a motel where Ralph and her partner are distant and disconnected, while parties and other guests’ nights play out in other rooms. You can watch the video below.
With “September Fades,” Ralph is showing us that she is ready to dominate pop music for a second year in a row and we can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeves in the upcoming months.
More to explore
100 best Canadian songs of 2017