“Eyes,” the new single out from the musician MK Rodenbough, who plays as Rodes, is one of those familiar-feeling songs with a warmth that gives off its own glow. Though it’s an honest song about the anxieties of young adulthood, its confidence and familiar 90s gritty guitar sound steers it ably toward assurance.
Rodenbough, who is from Greensboro and recently moved to Chicago, has deep musical roots in the Triangle: “Eyes” is backed up by local music regulars like Daniel Faust (drums, percussion), Alex Bingham (bass), Ryan Johnson (electric guitar), and Carter Hodge (backup vocals), and was mixed and mastered by Chris Boerner with engineering by Saman Khoujinian and Alex Bingham. Rodes’ forthcoming debut album, All of My Friends, which drops November 19, also features Rodenbough’s sibling, Libby Rodenbough.
“’Eyes’ is about feeling like you can’t get yourself to do the ‘right thing,’ the best thing for yourself, whether it’s going out to the bar with your friends or accepting the limitations of an ocean-wide long-distance relationship,” Rodenbough writes in the press release. “It’s also about feeling immense social anxiety and wanting so badly to be able to just breathe and let go of it all.”
Though the song is underscored by that uneasiness —”Eyes are watching, eyes are on me, hold me close,” Rodenbough worries in a clear, aching voice—sharp, ruminative hooks and deep, steady drums keep it grounded, and make it a perfect anthem for processing; it also sets the stage for a promising debut release.
Watch the homegrown garage video for “Eyes” below, aided by stuffed animals.
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