Breakup songs are a dime a dozen. Half of Spotify’s indie playlists are padded with them, and most sound like someone opened GarageBand, whispered into a USB mic, and called it “vulnerable.” But “terminal”, the new single from Ottawa duo Wotts, does something different. It doesn’t cry at you. It doesn’t romanticize collapse. Instead, it hovers; uneasy, a little psychedelic, refusing to decide whether it’s soothing you or quietly reminding you that everything is falling apart.
This makes sense when you hear the influences: Tame Impala’s swirly psych-rock sheen, Childish Gambino’s moodier grooves, even a hint of Mac Miller’s weary warmth. Those names are big and occasionally unwieldy touchstones, but Wotts manage to pick through them carefully. The synths and textures lean toward Kevin Parker’s dreamy atmospheres, yet the song isn’t trying to be a psych rock jam. With the more rickety production, the band keeps it grounded in something closer to indie pop with an R&B pulse.
The song opens like a fog machine hissing into the room. Synth layers blur together, the bass pulses, and then the vocals cut through; restrained, almost conversational, which is exactly why it works. He doesn’t belt or grandstand. He delivers the lines with the sort of casual detachment that people use when they’re telling you that they’re fine while they very much aren’t. It’s a choice that turns what could have been melodrama into something eerily relatable.
And then there’s the groove. Wotts produced the track themselves, and you can hear their ear for subtle movement. This isn’t a song that slams you over the head with rhythm; it sidesteps, it slides. You can nod along without realizing you’re nodding along, which is precisely the point. The uneasiness of a breakup isn’t fireworks, it’s that low-level hum in your chest when you’re pretending everything’s normal. “terminal” nails that vibe almost too well.
If you want to nitpick, sure, there are echoes of other acts; moments where the haze feels lifted straight from the Tame Impala playbook, or when the groove flirts a little too closely with Mac Miller’s after-hours material. But influence isn’t the same as imitation, and Wotts know how to thread their inspirations into something distinct. By the time the track ends, it’s clear they’re not just dabbling in psych-pop aesthetics; they’re using those sounds as a canvas for something sharper, more intimate.
As the first release from their upcoming EP COPE, “terminal” is a statement of intent: Wotts aren’t chasing indie pop trends, they’re bending them into shapes that suit their own uneasiness. This track is dreamy, groovy and messy in a way that feels deliberate. Breakups don’t often feel clean; neither does Wotts’ terminal and that’s what makes it stick.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for publications in the US and former lead writer of Atop The Treehouse. Reviews music, film and TV shows for media aggregators.
