Indie-rock princess Kaia Jette has continued a streak of upbeat singles with the feverish “Call Me.” A mixture of both excitement and nervousness, the song dives into the start of an obsessive and frenzied fling.
The song is focused on the fuzzy electric guitar with an ascending chord progression that creates exhilaration in the opening verse. The distortion on the guitar takes up most of the song’s atmosphere with a bass following its melody whilst also adding needed weight to the instrumentation. Panned-out drums with a kick sitting front and centre also add to the anticipation by highlighting the wide space of the mix. In the chorus, the guitar distortion is stripped back to both spotlight the vocal hook and provide change in the mix. Without this only change, the song would feel stagnant and and become lost in its own chaos.
As given away in its title, the song references the iconic Blondie hit “Call Me” in its vocal hook as Jette exclaims “call me / anytime / anyplace.” Rather than a soft romantic meet-cute, “Call Me” describes an intoxicating encounter filled with mischievous flirting, highlighted in the line “hey I like your style / you said I bet you like my smile.” Jette is fully aware of how bad this flirting may become with the chorus “I can see all the warning signs,” ending with the repeating “you’re bad news.” The lyrics dance between the excitement of something new and the knowledge of eventual hurt, which only adds to the thrilling energy of the song.
“Call Me” by Kaia Jette is a feverish rush sure to be an exciting addition to the singer-songwriter’s discography. The single’s intensity found in both its lyrics and instruments is an eager ode to passion and impulse.
