Indie-pop artist Otlo has released his latest single, “Gameboy.”
Also known as Preston Bearden, Otlo has taken the gentle ease of dreampop for “Gameboy” and created a slow-moving, simple, and sleepy track that feels a lot like being up till 5AM playing Pokémon as the sun rises.
It’s a wistful, short track with an easy premise, as Otlo sings “gameboy/just come and distract me/I wanna live inside your screen/for the rest of my life,” and the whole atmosphere of the track is deeply nostalgic, helped along by its name.
The simplicity of the melody reinforces this, as soft synth chords chime alongside sustained tones and the chorus’s straightforward notes, all paired with Otlo’s hazy vocals and a simple drum loop.
“Gameboy” speaks of Otlo’s roots as an artist, having started making music in his bedroom and dorm rooms as a young student – the track feels small in a comforting way, even while the tone of it is somewhat melancholic.
It’s a bittersweet feeling, but in a largely uncomplicated way– and sometimes, that’s all music has to be.
