Experimental soul artist McCabe gets vulnerable in his bittersweet summer single “Vicious”

“Vicious”, off South Londoner McCabe's debut album Sunset Boulevard, reels you in from the first second, meshing driving drums with dreamy strums of a harp. The sound embodies a carefree summer mindset, which lives in duality with McCabe’s striking falsetto tone singing about his vulnerabilities and regrets. He ignores those who call him crazy and refuses to speak on matters that aren’t true. Instead, he talks to an important past relationship who tried to be there for him despite his difficult nature. While that chapter came to a close, it encouraged him to refocus on his growth. Now he’s trying to release his inner “viciousness” to become the man he wants to be.

"'Vicious' is a personal account of the regrets of a past relationship and the need for both parties to stay away in order to move on and thrive in the world," McCabe says. "In the lyrics, I express my shame in some of my behaviors. The song captures the bittersweet memories of old love, etched with the sentiment that staying away from each other is the best way to move on and prosper."

The new single is accompanied by a vibrant music video set at a carnival, intended to reflect the song’s contrasting sound and themes. As the video’s director Sam Perry explained, “Fairgrounds have a dazzling energy, but there’s always an undertone of danger and melancholy.”

“Vicious” is the first single off of London-based McCabe’s debut album Sunset Boulevard, due for release later this summer. Inspired by musical pioneers from Prince to Marvin Gaye, the project features sounds across the spectrum of Motown to pop. The project was made much differently from his previous works. "The intent was to marry my love of pop music and experimental music," McCabe says. "I threw the idea of traditional songwriting structures out of the window and chose a free-flowing, stream of consciousness approach instead, improvising many of the lyrics in the early stages and letting the song direct me rather than me directing the song.”