Empty Pinata is back with his third single, ”TikTok Girl” a wistful trip down memory lane and deep into the psyche of a kid dealing with love, loneliness and everything in between in the digital age. With mellow bedroom pop underpinnings and a psychedelic spin, the song sounds like after you blow out the last breath of an aimless night spent in the car chasing something that’s left.
From the first bar, “TikTok Girl” ushers all who listen into a whirl of attachment and interruption. Empty Pinata portrays a girl ‘stuck in her phone’ who, until the sunrise on her face sees Ardipithecus scrolling her nights away with a commentary on how fleeting love feels in a time when connection exists behind screens.
What sets “TikTok Girl” apart is the way it manages to effortlessly juggle teenage rebellion and somber introspection. There’s a raw honesty in the lyrics, tales of cool girls, temporary highs and the not-so-gentle sting of getting ghosted, that seems universally relatable. The production reflects this emotional haze, smooth guitar tones are smothered in lo-fi grit and dreamy vocals that dissolve into the background like a fading late-night memory.
The storytelling in Empty Pinata does well by simplicity. He has no romance about the mess of youth, a generation of people keen for some validation, a little connection, and maybe even an ounce of love, or at least to watch it all unfolding through their light-up rectangle.
With each offering, Empty Pinata is making his sound heard in the alternative world by mixing laid-back grooves and storytelling lyrics. “TikTok Girl” already feels like a time capsule for this age, raw, catchy, hauntingly real.
Connect with Empty Pinata: Instagram
