Aaron Maine, otherwise known as Porches, has released his second single since his 2018 album The House. For the past two years, he has been working on his fourth studio album Ricky Music. The new song, “Do U Wanna,” is an explosive yet introspective ballad that experiments with new moods and production methods.

“Do U Wanna” keeps Porches’ usual silky synths and adds varying textures throughout, including crunchy drums, cowbell, and vocal harmonies. At times, the instrumentation is so bare, like when Maines sings “I’m so happy I could die,” that you can’t help but lean forward in your seat with anticipation. This juxtaposes the layers of lush synths and percussion that flood the chorus as he asks himself, “Do you wanna dance?” Ironically, this new single is far less “”dance-y” than a lot of the songs from his more recent works.

Maine said that the song is about “looking at yourself and realizing the disparity between how you’d like to act and how you actually act.” We can hear this battle between isolation and immersion in the textures of the instrumentation. By the end of the song, Maine has sunk back into his seclusion, saying, “I just wanna watch you live, but I never wanna do anything” as the synths fade. 

A lot of people with anxiety can relate to the feeling of overwhelming inhibitions in social settings, despite this desire to just let go. Maine says that Ricky Music will explore a whole array of interweaving emotions that he experienced when he was lost in love. To hear the rest of his story, you can pre-order Ricky Music on Bandcamp, out March 13. 

You can also catch Porches at Deluxx Fluxx in Detroit on April 18.

Feature image retrieved from the “Do U Wanna” music video.