It's fewer than six months since Oliver Cronin went viral with the single 'Boys Don't Cry', and the Byron-born pop artist has quickly become one of the most compelling pop artists of this moment.
Cronin's latest single is 'Exit'. It follows September's mini EP, For Now..., which included the widely playlisted singles 'Memories' and 'Trapped in L.A.' 'Exit' will feature on Cronin's upcoming debut full-length EP, Beautiful Nightmare, which is due out on Thursday November 17.
Cronin wrote 'Exit' with solo artist and producer Sofia Quinn and producer and songwriter Brandon Sammons, aka Bsamz. Quinn and Bsamz are US-based, where Cronin has been spending a lot of time since 'Boys Don't Cry' lit a fire around the world in June. But Cronin and his collaborators worked on 'Exit' over Zoom, with Cronin drawing influence from his immediate surroundings.
“Coming into summer here in Australia, it’s the perfect high-energy, feel-good track, with a little bit of sexual tensions sprinkled throughout,” Cronin said of 'Exit' in a statement.
There's definitely a decent amount of sexual energy underpinning 'Exit', but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of tension. Rather, Cronin's lyrics teem with lust and desire.
"No stress, good sex we feeling chemical," he sings over elastic drum programming and bass playing that sounds straight out of a Dua Lipa session. "Up, down, left, right, she keep me on my toes," he sings. "She know I like it though."
'Exit' is released alongside a live performance video that features Cronin and the musicians Xavier Scanu (guitar), Nikos Haropoulos-Smallman (keyboard) and Daryl Chin (drums) performing the song within Lake Tyrrell salt lake in northwest Victoria.
"We had the band set up on a wooden boardwalk that sits in the middle of the lake, providing an insanely picturesque setting," Cronin said of the video.
The live version of 'Exit' reveals the strong emo influences in Cronin's singing style, while also demonstrating his active and engrossing performance style.
Cronin's debut full-length EP, Beautiful Nightmare, is due out on Thursday November 17.
