Indie-pop singer-songwriter Alaina May recently dropped her latest single, “Keeps Me Up, an introspective anthem for those who spend sleepless nights lost in the maze of their thoughts, ruminating on unfulfilled opportunities, unrequited feelings, and self-doubt.
May shares, “‘Keeps Me Up’ is the product of quite a few sleepless nights spent overthinking and wondering what could’ve been. If you can relate, this song is for you.”
The song’s genesis occurred in September 2022, during May’s sophomore year at Boston University. Crafting the song from a voice memo on her phone and a scribbled page in her writing notebook, she released the worries and anxieties that invade our meditations and destroy our tranquility.
Collaborating with longtime friend and producer Nate Blanck (known as “Philia”), Alaina May transformed her acoustic vision into a complete track. The result is a composition they both take pride in, a testament to their creative synergy and commitment to fashioning expressive music.
Hailing from Lake Country, Wisconsin, and currently a junior studying business at Boston University, May has been playing music since she was six years old, but discovered a passion when she got her first guitar at the age of 10. In more recent years, Alaina has ventured into songwriting and playing gigs at local restaurants and events in her hometown of Oconomowoc.
May recorded and released a 4-track EP, entitled 417, in September of 2022 and is also featured on several other tracks. But it was not until writing and recording her new single, “Keeps Me Up,” that Alaina felt like she found her sound as an artist and a songwriter.
“Keeps Me Up” opens on a shimmering guitar, followed by the entry of May’s eloquent vocals, low and oh-so-evocative, dripping with melancholy and nostalgia, imbuing the lyrics with revealing, aching emotions. Smoky with passion, it’s one of those voices that immediately captures your attention because of its authentic vulnerability.
“In this dark and quiet room / I try not to think about you / And how you smell like her perfume / But I can’t help it / And oh / Why can’t I let go / Of these restless thoughts in my head / All those things I should’ve said / It keeps me up.”
Tinted by flavors of bedroom pop, “Keeps Me Up” highlights the haunting voice of Alaina May over minimalist, ambient surfaces.
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