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Jan 24, 2022 By Caleb Campbell Photography by William Arcand

This spring, Montreal-based alt pop singer/songwriter Sophia Bel is set to share her debut LP, Anxious Avoidant. Mixing together the ‘90s trip hop and 2000s emo pop influences of her youth, Bel encapsulates the era’s angst and irresistible hooks in perfect clarity. Fans last heard from Bel in November with her single, “2AM (And I Did It Again),” and today she’s shared her latest single from Anxious Avoidant, “Lonely After Curfew,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Lonely After Curfew” is a twinkling alt pop ballad, reminiscent of both slick Y2K forrays into acoustic pop and raw indie singer/songwriter fare. Sophia Bel perfectly pairs stark emotion and shimmering pop melody as she explores loneliness, insecurity, and abandonment. She finds herself in a codependent relationship, decaying during the lonely nights of COVID lockdowns. Yet, Bel can’t quite let go, singing, “Say you belong to me / Don’t ever set me free / My heart is on my sleeve / Just hanging by a thread / Don’t cut it off just yet.” The result is a pitch-perfect 2000s throw-back set against the isolation of pandemic-era relationships, a sharp balance between old and new.

Bel says of the track, “I wrote this song during last year’s curfew. In Montreal, we had to be home by 7:30 pm or we risked being fined for roaming the streets. It was a breeding ground for my codependency issues and my anxieties related to loneliness. I had too much time to think and overanalyze a relationship that I was in and had never experienced dating in such unusual and isolating circumstances. I always thought of myself as an independent person, but during this last year and a half I have come to realize that I was completely ill-equipped to sit with myself and my emotions. ‘Lonely After Curfew’ is a product of my eagerness and lack of balance. It expresses questions, fear of abandonment, and boredom.”

Check out the song and accompanying visual below. Anxious Avoidant is out April 15th via Bonsound.