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Feb 08, 2021 By Caleb Campbell TALIA

Debuting in 2019, songwriter, actress, and filmmaker TALIA, quickly confirmed herself as an exciting new voice in bedroom pop with her evocative first single “Shiver.” At the beginning of 2020, TALIA found herself exploring further into her acting career before COVID forced the film world into lockdown. Lockdown instead brought the chance for TALIA to dive deeper into songwriting. TALIA found a self-described state of “complete vulnerability,” crafting a poignant combination of R&B and bedroom pop on her upcoming debut EP headrush. TALIA has now returned with the latest single from the record, “HML,” premiering with Under the Radar.

TALIA expands upon her sound with “HML,” leaning even further into TALIA’s R&B influences. The retro guitar licks, thick bassline, and steady percussion introduce the track with an immediate seductive feel and an exceedingly smooth nocturnal groove. The lyrics go further into R&B sensuality, exploring the rush of a new crush and the playful game of late-night flirtation. Yet, when the chorus hits, the echoing layered vocal melodies and languid delivery feel straight out of the alt pop playbook. Despite the vintage R&B influence, the track has a glossy modern sheen that only gives way near the end as the song concludes on an intimate acoustic outro. The result expands upon TALIA’s sound, playing with genre conventions and bridging old and new styles for a thoroughly fresh track.

TALIA says of the song, “‘HML’ was definitely one of the most fun and exciting processes for a song. Lyrically and sonically, I wanted to explore more of my R&B influences and infuse that with an alternative sound. The writing was all about conveying the game and thrill of pursuing a crush.”

“The lyrics “I’m here all alone / Now you’re on my mind / Won’t you call my phone / Baby hit my line” came first. From there, I just wanted to toy with the idea of professing my feelings for someone in a playful and flirtatious way—almost like a dare for them to hit my line and let me know if they feel the same way.”

“I wanted it to feel irresistibly sexy in an empowering way. All the things I wish I had the guts to say to a crush in the beginning. Once I had the lyrics down, I worked with a producer to build the bridge. I loved the idea of having a music break where the guitar solo takes over. My goal was to create something that reflected the desire of that inner emotional world. I write my best when it’s heart and body to paper. It’s always better when I trust my gut rather than overthink the process, so it was a lot of me mumbling melodies into the mic while dancing. It all flowed together pretty fast, and I always have so much fun singing and dancing to it!” Check out the song below and watch for headrush, coming later this year via Quadio Records.