Ravyn Lenae has been in good musical company lately. Her song "Love Me Not," from the 2024 album Bird's Eye, became an unlikely slow-burn crossover hit, going all the way to #5. Since then, she's been on a serious streak of collaborations. Last year, she teamed up with Kali Uchis for "Cry About It!" and then was featured on PinkPantheress' remix album. Just last week, she appeared on Charlie Puth's latest album Whatever's Clever! for the song "New Jersey." Today, she's returned with two singles of her own, "Reputation" and "Bobby." The former features Dominic Fike and comes with a Matthew Dillon Cohen-directed video.
"Reputation" details an expired relationship that's hard to throw away. Lenae can tell something is up, but isn't ready to accept it: "Lately, you're holding on to me/ Like there's something you're not saying/ It's taking over me." Her voice is soft amongst quick acoustic strums. "I know I can leave/ But I stay 'cause I wanna believe/ That it's true, what you're saying to me." Fike hops in with a deadpan refrain that sounds more tired rather than convincing: "I'm loyal to a fault/ Like a dog, just like a dog."
The accompanying single "Bobby" is an indie surf rock tune that brings to mind Beach Fossils. On first listen, it sounds like the stronger of the two tracks, Lenae's voice cruising around wormy guitars, punchy drums, and very sticky chorus. Listen to both below.
