Ella Naseeb – better known by the moniker Blushing Boy – today drops a stirring follow-up to her well-received debut single, 'Consumer'. The new track, 'Lolita', floats between the gentle intimacy of the likes of Julia Jacklin and Arlo Parks to the fierce ethos of punk established with her debut.

“We often bring our past into new situations and I’ve definitely struggled to know what I want from love," Naseeb reflects on the inception of 'Lolita'. "I think everybody can relate to that feeling at some point in their lives. It's that inner juxtaposition that I’ve turned into a story.

"It’s who I could be in love, personified by these two characters – Lolita’s charming seduction and the singer’s caring sincerity. It’s the dark and light within myself. It's the choice of which way to go."

Hailing from Dublin, Blushing Boy credits both her city and her bicultural background for inducing the love of storytelling and experimentation that inspired the track. Juxtaposing introspective lyrics with upbeat choruses or pop culture references with her sense of self-reliance, Blushing Boy blurs the classic with the current, channeling nostalgia while teasing her audience with glimpses of something distinctly new: "And there’s syrup in my lungs watching you gather dust on her shelf/ ‘Cause she’s a quick smile but a slow sting/ And you’re gonna sink if you don’t swim", she swirls lyrically over dark guitars.

"Although the lyrics paint a warning," she says, "the song was written to leave you with a feeling of empowerment”.

It's a common theme in her music, as Blushing Boy lit up the internet in August with her debut single 'Consumer', which alone was enough to land her a spot as one of the coveted Hot Press Hot for 2020 acts. With the release of 'Lolita', it seems we were right in naming her so!

Take a listen to 'Lolita' below:

Photography by Stephen White