As Nari, Bay Area–born artist Narisa Khamvanthong makes saccharine-sounding indie pop that grapples with human experiences that aren't so sweetly unpacked. Her latest single "7UP" combines slippery blues rock and plush vocals, while Nari demonstrates contradictory mental paths when pursuing sobriety.
The nasally guitar riffs and Nari's soft, melancholic delivery are so blissful from the start that "7UP" almost presents as ’90s easy listening. But there's an uncomfortable tension in Nari's words as her sentiments start to clash. "Don't go out for too long without me / I just need to be near somebody," she pleads. The guitars bristle as she immediately backtracks on her words: "You don't have to keep watching me / I can be by myself, I appreciate your help." By the end, her words are running back and forth over each other. Nari illustrates the complicated battles that sobriety can entail; it's an internal struggle that feels like a war against one's self, avalanched with the guilt to not let loved ones down.
"If you listen closely, this song is full of contradictions," Nari explains. "The song follows me through ups and downs of getting a hold of my relationship with alcohol. When I was struggling with my relationship with alcohol I found myself lying and trying to find loopholes in my attempted sobriety at the time. I was constantly in a battle of needing people around me while pushing them away whenever they checked me for my behavior and relapse and trying to salvage those relationships through bargaining and making excuses."
We'll get more of Nari's honest and affecting songwriting later this year with her forthcoming debut album Greener on the Other Side on Park the Van (release date is to be announced). In the meantime, listen to "7UP" below.
