Bellingham, Washington-based electronic duo ODESZA have released a new single entitled “Better Now”, which features vocals by Portuguese singer Maro. The single is available via streaming services, or you can take a listen at the YouTube link below.
“Better Now” comes just a few weeks after ODESZA’S first non-collaborative musical release in four years; “The Last Goodbye”, a hazy yet danceable tune that features a soaring vocal sample from soul singer Bettye LaVette’s “Let Me Down Easy”. You can listen to “The Last Goodbye” on all available streaming services, or view the music video here. The single was welcomed very warmly indeed by fans, achieving over eight million streams globally in just one week.
“Better Now” is a song defined by ODESZA’S signature lush soundscapes and driving beats, but also greatly prioritises Maro’s delightful vocal lines and infectious hooks. Commencing with a dusty, fragmented drum sample over distant backing vocals, Maro’s voice soon takes centre stage in the mix as gentle synths and keyboards tinker in the background, leading up to a dynamic chorus driven by a pulsing synth bass and a thundering kick drum.
Speaking on the track, ODESZA stated, according to a recent press release: “It’s funny because we tried so many different collaborations with vocalists in varying genres to try to find the right fit for this song when we first made it, but for whatever reason nothing felt right. We’ve been big fans of MARO and when we sent her a short handful of demos, this was the one she resonated with, and we knew she was going to do something really special with it. Truthfully, you would have to ask MARO the meaning of this tune, but to us ‘Better Now’ is about the realisation that putting yourself out there is always worth it in the end.”
The song carries flavours of ODESZA’S 2017 full-length album A Moment Apart , an album that saw the duo collaborating with vocalists from several different genres, such as Leon Bridges and Regina Spektor. The album is gold-certified, and obtained two GRAMMY nominations for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Dance Recording for the single “Line of Sight”, which featured WYNNE and Mansionair. The album is available via all streaming services, and for those of you unfamiliar with ODESZA’S stunning musical catalogue, you can take a listen to “Line of Sight” at the YouTube link below.
