Denai Moore – “Blame” (Stereogum Premiere)
Denai Moore is still barely 22, but she’s already released two EPs full of the kind of wise-beyond-her-years songwriting that leaves you shell-shocked. Moore recently announced her debut album, Elsewhere, which will be out on April 6, and today we’re premiering a track from it called “Blame.” Beginning with a filtered, slight echo of the song’s eventual full-bodied chorus, the lo-fi snippet functions like the nagging doubts left over when love turns sour. “There’s a place in my heart/ That’s got your name on it/ Sitting there like a scar/ Forever ingrained,” Moore sings, and if she already knows about heart scars at 22, I can’t imagine what she’ll be writing in a decade. She also co-produced the track along with Ben Drew (aka Plan B), and the way it whirls from the weird, fuzzy opening bit into a swelling piano ballad maintains momentum despite its downtempo feel. Listen below.
Elsewhere will be out April 6 via Because Music.