Sophie May reflects on an ex-partner's predictability in "Doppelgänger"

At under three minutes, "Doppelgänger" by Sophie May is short but hardly sweet. Her new single, she says, “is a melodramatic take on feeling like all your partner’s exes look like you. Diving deep into the universal emotions of jealousy and blowing all rational judgement out the window. The single encapsulates that moment of indulgence when scrolling way too far back on a partner’s exes Facebook page (and paying for it later).” The narrator forsakes rationality, succumbing to jealousy and insecurity.

Although it’s a tale of messy human emotions, she maintains her signature style — romantic, folksy, and perfectly serene-sounding even as she sings words heavy enough to earn the track its 'explicit' label on YouTube.

A breath of fresh air may be a cliché, but we needed nothing more when countries all around the globe put everyone in lockdown. The boisterous party music that defined the 2010s’ music charts suddenly became artefacts from a simpler era; it really wasn’t that long ago, yet felt like worlds away. Much of early Gen Z spent the first few years of their adulthood trapped within the walls of their bedrooms, which 24-year-old May can relate to. But it gave way for people to appreciate her art. While quarantined, people craved the balm of tender songs, then, they found May’s music on TikTok and fell in love.

Beneath laid-back, acoustic instrumentals and her delicate vocals, May’s songs tend to have an undercurrent of melancholy. She used to channel sadness into slam poetry, but now uses it to mould intricate lyrical narratives. It’s no wonder that Leonard Cohen, a musician renowned for his blend of pensive poetry, folk, and pop-rock, is such a huge influence on May.

With producer Josh Scarbrow, Sophie May yet again uses music to tell a story that pulls us in. "Doppelgänger" serves as a preview of May’s follow-up to her stellar summer debut EP, You Do Not Have to Be Good — like we needed another reason to look forward to summer.