Bassvictim dropped their third studio album, Forever, this past Friday, and with it, came “Mr. President.” With many calling it their best album to date, their production quality and musicality have improved tremendously. I found many of their older songs sounded a bit formulaic and generic, but it seems they’ve finally found their sound, and “Mr. President” is the best example of it.

Blending the noisepop indie revival sound of the late 2000s and early 2010s, “Mr. President” is vaguely reminiscent of Animal Collective, while keeping their original Bassvictim sound. The use of soft, blurry synth paired with a bit of strings keeps things interesting and has to be my favorite blend of sounds in a song.

The content explores what may be a moment of internal crisis, with the repeated mentions of missing someone’s smiley face coupled with a lyric about having visions of them. These lines suggest wanting closeness from a partner they cannot get.

The title leaves me wondering who exactly the song is about, perhaps referring to an idealized version of a partner who has been placed on a pedestal or something more literal. Power dynamics certainly play a role in the song, leading me to assume that the song is about an imbalanced power dynamic, hence the “Mr. President” title.