Opening with a hypnotic electronic sound that transitions to a soft lofi-esque instrumental, Derek Simpson’s latest single “Hide + Seek” is a beautifully composed bedroom pop track that will leave you nostalgic for a love that might have never fully come to fruition. During the initial listen of the song, I was, at first, startled by the introduction (which I’d come to learn was a UFO beam by Alessandro Maione), but was quickly entranced by the bewitching vocals and stunning guitar playing echoing the seductive sounds of alternative R&B.
Derek Simpson is a Long Beach-based artist who first gained notoriety under the pseudonym Planetarian after releasing several free albums on Soundcloud. In August 2019, Derek Simpson had released his highly anticipated debut album KiNG SUN. The multi-instrumentalist has produced music for multiple artists including Kevin Abstract, Dom McLennon, and Rockie Fresh.
A majority of “Hide + Seek” was created in a single afternoon. “I just followed this groove as far as it would take me one afternoon and that wound up being the bulk of what you hear in the record.” Intimacy and attraction are the main themes both in the lyrical substance and of the song itself. Simpson explains that, “I wanted to convey a hypnotic intimacy in the lyrics as well, and that vibe became so much more prominent with the lovely vocal contributions of my good friends Gracie Gray and Joshua Tarantino.” He continues that he wanted to song to “capture that feeling you get when you first start to realize that you and another person have an unspoken attraction, but it’s too early for you to know exactly what that chemistry means or how you’d like to interact with it” which, I feel, the song perfectly encapsulates.
Derek Simpson
Website | Instagram | “Hide + Seek”
