Indie-rocker Camille Schmidt asks the impossible in her revealing new track “Cult in Denver”

Every time we fall in love, it feels like the last. All-encompassing in its hazy euphoria, this one feeling has more power over us than anything, and its startling effects force us to ask impossible questions. Just as burgeoning songwriter Camille Schmidt muses in her song “Cult of Denver”, “how could anyone be like you are to me?” is one of the most pressing of all these, especially when a relationship feels it’s about to reach an incomprehensible end.

Throughout the song Schmidt hovers in a suspended state of disbelief over her feelings. She gasps for air in the mornings, and is left unsure of what to do during the days with this unexpected bliss bursting through her. It’s just one of the many revealing, wistful, and witty songs off her debut album Nude #9.

The elusive title of Schmidt’s debut album is inspired by the titles often tacked onto paintings of nude women. Why do these vulnerable depictions often bear such neutral, unmoving titles? Woman #3. Girl with Horse. Lounging on the Chaice. Working with frequent collaborators of Alex G and Mk.gee, Schmidt sought to create an entire work of her own with Nude #9 with a name just as unassuming as the art she is so mesmerized by.

The rest of Schmidt’s LP is just as honest, revealing, and clever as her lead single. The pure energy of the project makes sense, considering the unique way Schmidt chose to form the lyrics. “A lot of these songs were written completely stream of consciousness,” she said. In that state of being, the truth usually prevails. Quick thinking cuts away the weeds of hesitation, which all too often kills the hunger within creatives.

“I spent so much of my life not being honest with myself or other people. I thought, what if I stop trying to get good with myself? With anyone else? What if I just reflect the truth of what I’ve seen?” Schmidt said. She answered that question for herself in the studio. Now, only one remains. “How could anyone be like you are to me?”