Alaina Castillo might have released an EP called ‘Antisocial Butterfly’, but she’s got a pretty good grip on what makes people tick. In her breakout song ‘I Don’t Think I Love You Anymore’, the Texas teen is a frank rumination on the ending of a relationship, while the recently released ‘Ocean Waves’ similarly pairs expansive lyrics with devastating human emotions.
Her new release, ‘Just A Boy’, is no different. It’s an intimate ballad about “trust issues”, that evokes the hushed vocals of Billie Eilish and the assured, characterful pacing of fellow rising star Jessie Reyez. Similarly, she’s amassed an army of followers imbued by her bilingual bangers (Castillo flits between Spanish and English often) and her origins as an inadvertent ASMR star on YouTube.
Her new EP ‘The Voicenotes’ – out April 24th in both English and Spanish – will no doubt pull in new listeners and continue to enchant existing stans. Whether you’re a convert or new to Castillo, check out ‘Just A Boy’ first exclusively on NME.
“‘Just A Boy’ came from a part of my mind that was overthinking and doubting. I had trust issues. I’ve had ups and downs in love and sometimes it clouds my vision,” she tells NME. The song is about having all of those doubts at once and deciding whether it’s worth giving them a second thought.
“It’s the moment when you decide to either trust someone, or end things end badly and let it cast a shadow on all your future relationships.I wanted to share that torment with people, but also let them know that it’s OK to leave stuff in the past and move on, either with or without the person.”
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