Charlie Hickey, a 21-year-old indie-rock balladeer from Pasadena, will release his debut EP Count The Stairs next month. Since middle school he’s been friends with Phoebe Bridgers, who lends her backing vocals to various tracks on the EP, including last year’s lead single “No Good At Lying” and today’s “Ten Feet Tall.” It’s cool that even though she’s guesting on tracks by big stars like Kid Cudi now, she’s still out there working with her Day Ones. (Their circle of friends and collaborators also includes Marshall Vore, who produced Hickey’s EP.)

Whereas the prior single was the kind of slow, trembling offering people tend to associate with Bridgers, today’s Hickey offering transplants that sensibility to more of a gleaming chug. “There’s not a problem here that can’t be solved with liquor, stickers, and strawberry moons,” he sings. On the chorus, his voice arches into falsetto as he sings, “I thought I was ten feet tall/ I thought I was above it all/ But I was just standing on your shoulders.” Also, look out for some clutch banjo work in the second verse.

Watch Zoe Donahoe and Adam Sputh’s “Ten Feet Tall” video below, where you can also hear “No Good At Lying.”

TRACKLIST:
01 “No Good At Lying”
02 “Count The Stairs”
03 “Two Haunted Houses”
04 “Seeing Things”
05 “Ten Feet Tall”
06 “Notre Dame”

Count The Stairs is out 2/26.