Welcome to In Tune with WBMB, a weekly column where a member of the station covers a new track from the underground. This week’s article is written by Rowen Ramsammy.
Deb Never might be a familiar name to those who are “In Tune” with the alternative pop movement. The Seattle native has made a name for herself by blending elements such as trap, pop and alternative music into her own unique style.
Her breakout single, “ugly,” set the stage for her to perform as a tour opener for Wallows in 2025, as well as have collaborations with industry legends like Kenny Beats and Slowthai. It also paved the way for her to be one of the faces of Calvin Klein’s Fall 2021 campaign.
Since then, she’s become a key figure of the alt-pop movement.
Deb’s music captures the feeling of having the weight of the world on your shoulders — staring at the ceiling, knowing what you want but unsure of how to reach it and anxious for the future. Deb and her team are currently working on the rollout of her first studio album “ARCADE.”
Releasing on May 8, it will mark a pivotal moment in her career.
The latest sneak peek takes the form of a single named “all the time” and listeners can bet that the name describes how often they’ll listen. With this release, Deb builds upon her reputation for writing emotional pop ballads. Years in the making, she’s decided to shift her focus to a more romantic, alternative sound, straying from her past trap-inspired music.
She employed the help of Romil Hemnani, former member of the now-disbanded Brockhampton, to help transition her sound and vision into its current form.
Although her sound has sonically shifted, lyrics like “time is surrounding me” and “where would we be when we’re older?” reinforce the underlying themes that she’s stuck to during her career as a songwriter.
Layers of hazy guitar joined by backing harmonies and her signature grainy voice make for a sound that listeners can’t help but get lost in. Some of the least favorite aspects of the human experience — uncertainty, vulnerability and anxiety — are all explored, giving listeners a truly brutal and relatable auditory experience.
