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Oct 06, 2021 By Caleb Campbell

New York-based singer-songwriter Mimi Oz is back later this month with her third studio album, Growing Pains. Melding influences from jazz, folk, soul, and vintage pop songstresses, Oz’s latest work is a wide-ranging genre sampler, all filtered through her own intimate themes of loneliness and alienation. Oz has already shared a handful of singles from the record, including “In The Water,” “Time Will Tell,” and “Caroline,” and today she’s back with her latest single, “Hate,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Hate,” true to its name, is a seething and gritty take on Oz’s singer/songwriter stylings. Gnarled, chugging rock guitar forms the foundation for Oz’s confessions while her vocals soar above. Oz also brings new levels of intensity vocally. She moves effortlessly between crystalline beauty and searing rage, eventually ascending to a howling climax as she sings “I see the hate you feel for me.” It’s a stomping, raging new effort from Oz, dripping with raw emotion as she explores disconnected alienation.

Oz says of the track, “Sonically, I didn’t know how to produce this track and never played it with my band, so my choices in sounds were very basic and rock-heavy. I worked with guitarist David Celia from Toronto, and he’s been a long time collaborator, so he knew where to take it. There are also some nuances like muted acoustic strings which chug along in the track if you are listening closely.

With the lyrics, I wanted them to be at the forefront, and from an emotional standpoint, the song is about feeling separated from society for being perceived as “different”. It’s about not fitting into your community, and not fitting in anywhere really, and it came from a long period of feeling displaced and disconnected. When I wrote the song, I was touched by the important fact that so many people feel this way, and there is something natural about that experience, which I feel make the lyrics and song more powerful and relevant. It became less about me, and about a deeper sadness for humanity.”

Check out the song below and watch for Growing Pains, out October 22nd.