Teether and Kuya Neil find comfort in flip-phone crushes on “BLUSH”

Since the divisive return of low-rise jeans at the beginning of the decade, nostalgia for the pixelated pop haven of the noughties has been on the rise. Music subcultures have been flooded with tributes to the era of Tamagotchis and velour tracksuits, from the return of indie sleaze to Addison Rae’s continual nods to Britney. On their new track “BLUSH”, Teether and Kuya Neil join the Y2K revival with a sweet and sincere love song indebted to the early ‘00s.

Pairing a crisp garage beat with overly affectionate lyrics – “Girl, you know for you I’d do anything” – Teether and Kuya Neil take a stark sonic left turn from their previous offering, the reverberant, rap-heavy “ZOO”. True to its name, “BLUSH” is far gentler than any previous material we’ve heard from the duo, combining conversational lyrics and playful production in an auto-tuned declaration of love. But their take on romance isn’t entirely devoid of realism.

“It’s about revelling in true love while living in a less-than-ideal reality,” shares Teether on the new track, “The sun was out and we didn’t have to go to our day jobs for a bit so we were feeling it. But you know at the start of a trip when you are aware it’s going to pass you by quickly? That looming return to reality was still present, hence the nods to some depressing truths still being there in this almost idyllic love song.”

For the rare few of us who have been holding onto our MSN email addresses for two decades now, Phillip Dixon VII’s accompanying video for “BLUSH” will feel all too familiar. Blurry shots of Teether show him blowing kisses through photo-booth filters and sending strangely capitalised love letters on Messenger, each visual choice upholding the simplicity and sweetness of the song.

The duo’s long-time collaborator looked to combine their collective roots in “glitchy, early-internet aesthetics” with something “more tactile and handcrafted” for the “BLUSH” video. The result is a collection of visuals that call back to a time when the internet felt a little more personal, when tenderness could be found in even the most pixelated webpages.