• News

• All

May 23, 2023 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Lauren Brown

Washington D.C.-based indie singer/songwriter Jules Hale has spent the past several years exploring the world of ethereal art pop under the moniker Den-Mate. She shared her sophomore album Loceke in 2018, followed by her 2020 EP, Hypnagogia, and next month she is set to share her forthcoming third full-length LP, Grow Up And Out. Described as a document of the slow process of personal growth, the record finds Hale exploring meditative questions of nostalgia and transformation, delivered amidst expansive soundscapes.

She shared “Gravity,” the record’s lead single, earlier this month, and today she’s back with another new track, “Unzip You,” premiering with Under the Radar.

With “Unzip You” Hale delivers a winding and hypnotic effort, balancing honeyed dream pop passages against psych pop chaos. The track’s steady pulsing drum beat and meandering guitar line trace an ethereal introduction for Hale, one that steadily descends into a swirl of overlapping voices and mesmeric melodies with the chorus. Meanwhile, the lyrics explore themes of connection and alienation, centering on dreamy naturalistic imagery: “I tried to be a river babe deep enough for you to sink into / Deep enough drown all the fear inside of you / Some skies never leave our heads / In our heads”

Hale explains of the track, “‘Unzip You’ is my favorite song off this record. It explores the struggle to connect with others. The opening lines “I tried to be a mountain but the ground was way too flat” sets the tone of frustration and disappointment, a struggle trying to find a place in the world. As the song progresses, natural imagery symbolizing care and protection contrasts with a harsh reality of the world, represented by cliffs.

Despite challenges, the song shows determination to find a way forward. The repeated line in the chorus speaks of a deep desire for connection, intimacy, and a willingness to open oneself up to others and see them for who they are. It’s a song that explores the complexities of human connection while acknowledging and appreciating our everyday efforts.”

Check out the song and video below. Grow Up and Out is out June 16th via Substitute Scene Records.