Culture
05 Apr 22

Track of the Day: modernlove. - 'Don't Wanna'

modernlove.'s euphoric new single 'Don’t Wanna’ arrives today via Akira Records, home to the likes of Phoria, Henry Green, Mt. Wolf, Rosie Carney, Shura and more. Photo: Dan Harris.

Following up their recently unveiled offerings ‘Us’ and their Valentine’s Day delight ‘Follow You’, which have since found support across countless tastemakers, Irish indie-rock outfit modernlove. return to deliver brand new single ‘Don’t Wanna’.

The track is accompanied by a music video, directed and edited by Joey Arnold. Channelling a glossier and more lovelorn direction this time around, ‘Don’t Wanna’ sees the band focus on the more romantically-charged side to their sound.

It's got all of the sexually charged energy, awkwardness and youthful anticipation of a classic '80s movie soundtrack, but the Louth act add their contemporary feeling to the offering. 'Don't Wanna' is also infectiously catchy, and the video shows off a level of fun authenticity that's much needed in the Irish music scene.

With its bright and soaring aesthetic, matched effortlessly with some wonderfully engaging songwriting, the group are spreading their creative wings to unveil one of their most heartfelt releases to date.

Speaking about the new track, the band said: "'Don't Wanna' is a song about desire. We've all had that weird feeling at some point where you can't decide whether you might be kinda into one of your close mates... It touches on the difficulty of navigating friendships and relationships as a young person when such passionate feelings and sex are involved. We wanted to capture that excitement in the sonics as well, it's definitely one of our poppiest tunes but still got that rocky edge to it."

Their debut EP, monochrome blue, released in September 2021, saw modernlove. combine their earliest work into a statement debut offering. Featuring the singles ‘Liquorice’, ‘2 Missed Calls’ and ‘lmk (if you wanna see me)’, they received strong playlist support, landing on New Music Friday UK, Fresh Finds, Alt-Pop and The Pop List amongst others on Spotify, as well as New Music Daily, New in Alternative and Breaking Alternative on Apple Music.

modernlove. explore the complexities of the lives of 2022's twenty-somethings. Even though their lives are still complicated, Barry, Cian, Danny and Graham of Drogheda have already nailed their sound; they deliver polished, indie-pop with a glossy sheen and intricate details.

Check out the video for 'Don't Wanna', shot and edited by Joey Arnold: