Naked Roommate Share Repeat Single
Next Friday, you’re going to want to make sure you’ve ordered a copy of Do the Duvet, the debut LP from Oakland’s Naked Roommate. You see, this is the dance record for these anxious pandemic/political times; it’s clever and hypnotic, yet antagonistic and evasive; you’ll move the whole way through. Take, for instance, “Repeat,” the latest single. For 45 seconds, passive listeners will hear just another electro-pop groove. Sure, that’s omni-present in the beat-making, but wait for Amber Sermeno’s vocals to join up; they come off playful and fun, but there’s this sort of flare of disdain as she’s shouting “look good/smell good.” As the voice fades for a mid-track interlude, you get these little guitar lines dancing in between the beats, teasing the reentry of the vocals. It bursts and blooms, eventually fading away as “repeat” hangs in the distance atop carefully constructed pop notes to draw the tune to a close. If you grab the album on September 4th from Trouble in Mind/Upset the Rhythm, you’ll be ready to shake it, or, as might be preferred, lay on the floor and let the refined subtleties of the band’s craft lift your soul.