After closing out last year with his debut EP ‘Tell Me How It’s Worth It,’ emerging indie-pop artist Cade Hoppe is back with his new single, ‘Hurts’.Originally hailing from Sacramento, CA and now based in New York, Cade originally moved to the East Coast to pursue academic and athletic opportunities. He’d been writing songs and playing piano, guitar, bass and saxophone since childhood, but it wasn’t until 2020 that he started to explore the possibility of recording and releasing his own songs to prioritize his true passion. After putting out a few experimental releases with his stepbrother, Nick Adams, Cade connected with producer Harper James — one half of Eighty Ninety — and began to develop his indie-pop sound.

‘Hurts’ is a fine example of Hoppe’s cinematic and luxuriant dream-pop sound. Filled with intricate electronics, soft twinkling keys and an intense bubbling beat the track pulses with moments of suspense throughout while Hoppe’s warm vocals almost whisper over the bittersweet melody. The song broods and simmers within a state of nostalgia enhanced by warm guitar tones that glimmer through the dense electronic backdrop while Hoppe croons “ I would do anything to have you here to see if I still love you”. Well crafted and deftly produced, ‘Hurts’ is a catchy and emotive new single from Cade Hoppe.

 Written from the point of view of someone who has recently broken up with their significant other, “Hurts” grapples with feeling the weight of their absence. Cade elaborates on the track: “‘Hurts’ is about experiencing that strange post-relationship purgatory for the first time and realizing that anyone you love is going to hurt to lose, whether you were both meant to be or not. The thesis of this song is: ‘It’s not easy losing somebody, it always hurts.’ I think we all have to learn that lesson at some point in our lives and this song is about when I learned it for myself.”

Stream ‘Hurts’ below 

Author: Danu