NY-based singer and songwriter Charlene Kaye, better known as KAYE, is the frontwoman of the indie rock collective San Fermin. While on tour with San Fermin, she started developing her own sound on her laptop. Now she’s ready to drop the HONEY EP, and “UUU” (pronounced like the word you) is an indication that she may be muffled a bit by her band’s aesthetic. KAYE’s varying sensibilites combine wonderfully on this song, combining grungy bass, the ’80s dance pop of Paula Abdul, and intricate percussion as her voice playfully floats above. She sings beautifully about a certain someone she’s built a level of intimacy with that she can’t do without: “You came to me/ And changed the air around me/ Rain through my leaves/ One night and I finally saw what it might feel like to be clean.” And that vulnerable admission is at it’s strongest and catchiest on the hook’s crescendo. There’s also an interesting story behind this one:

When I wrote UUU I was listening to a lot of 90s R&B, a lot of Dream and 3LW. That summer, ‘Call Me Maybe’ was on rotation constantly and I was obsessed with it. I was like, ‘I’m going to write a pop song of Carly-level caliber and pitch it to her.’ It began as a genre experiment, but I ended up really connecting with the song and keeping it.

The song is about the intoxication of falling in love – getting swept up in physical and emotional passion, feeling overwhelmed but also very safe and comfortable being yourself with this person.

Listen.

HONEY is out 8/19.