Indie-Pop Artist Cloe Wilder Releases Introspective New Single “We’re Not Special”
BY OLIVIA LEON
Photo Credit: Jesse DeFlorio
Indie-pop singer Cloe Wilder has just released her latest single “We’re Not Special.” Laced in angelic undertones reminiscent of a late summer’s breeze, the track uses floaty vocals and soft instrumentals to guide you through the artist’s emotions. Wilder speaks to this existential, yet impeccably grounding, feeling of realizing just how complicated yet simple the life around us is — how mundane our days can be, and yet how intricate every little emotion can feel. Leaning into her influences from Lana Del Rey to Phoebe Bridgers, the artist develops a sound that lures you in from the start.
Beginning the track with a steady guitar strum, Wilder draws listeners in with a quiet and peaceful introduction to the song. She begins “Oh, my love / Heaven waits for no one / We’re not special.” The artist starts off with a line that truly encapsulates the tone of the song. At first glance it's ethereal, soft, and light, but when you take a step back, the rawness and candor of the words sink in. Wilder’s airy, overlapping vocals and fluid guitar strums make for a feeling of quiet contentment, while delving deeper into the lyrics and the simplicity of instrumentals truly place you in that realization of the triviality of much of our lives.
Wilder says “‘We’re Not Special’ is written as if I’m speaking to this person about all of the reasons why we’re exactly like everyone else. There’s nothing we can say or do that will give us a better shot at this. It’s this complicated mess that makes us hurt. Maintaining relationships can feel so useless to me sometimes. Nothing feels special yet I think it’s okay to embrace that—the mundanity of it all.”
The artist translates this concept beautifully with the help of director Jesse DeFlorio in the song’s music video. The video evokes a sense of nostalgia with warm, hazy tones as it pans to the various interactions of people throughout a bar, with Wilder singing on stage in the background. “I like to create the visuals that were in my head while writing the song. There's always a color or an idea behind it,” Wilder explains
“We’re Not Special” leaves you both grounded and contemplative, as the track alternates between soundscapes that engrain themselves in the back of your mind and those that push to the foreground, sounding every note, every word. “I want listeners to take whatever they need from my music,” Wilder says. While the emotions in the creation of the track may be unique to the artist, “We’re Not Special” is relatable and can speak to the experiences of many.
