PREMIERE Isabella&Sebastian, "Oxygen"

Megahorns danced up chords; Isabella and Sebastian; press photo courtesy of the 767 Agency.

The summer song is a time honored tradition. Not entirely unlike the obligatory holiday song/album/special/event/etcetera; the summer song is what we consciously or unconsciously thrill for during the solstice shifting of the gods. Think of the mixtapes and playlists curated by artists, besties, frenemies, labels, and everyone in between. These are the artifacts that are carried forward into the immortal art galleries reserved for seasonally inspired works. They are the future relics that are rarely forgotten, offering capsules of unadulterated sunlight that emanate like the amalgamation of elements collected in enchanted charms and crystals from the fantasias of a favorite JRPG or paperback novella.

Helping ring in the summer proper is the sequential follow-up to Isabella&Sebastian’s “Helium” with the debut of “Oxygen”. The Memphis duo of multihyphenate artists Isabella DeFir and Sebastian Stephens forged a collaborative partnership with a series of windswept singles like the heart skipping “Hopscotch”, the lavish “Lavender” (complete with a kazoo interlude), the gummy glazed gloss of “Jellyfruit”, to a snazzy tribute to George Michael’s iconic holiday hymn for the ages.

The 2024 single "Helium" set the benchmark for the duo's most ambitious series of musical movements yet. The first chapter being titled after the balloon lifting noble gas, Isabella&Sebastian incorporate subdued dance keys and chilled-out rhythms that gently float upward into the sky like a pair of untethered Mylar air vessels displaying happy birthday messages, making their way toward celestial stratospheres. The vintage house music keys are met with a modern day minimalism that bumps to the beats with a maximum effect. Isabella delivers those skyward sailing sentiments that swim from the subtle interactions of infatuation that knows no limit to aspirational altitudes, like those aforementioned balloons (that scale to the highest points of view with no intention of coming down).

Isabella&Sebastian introduced us to the new single with the following preface:

“Oxygen” is the follow-up up and response to our song, “Helium”. Together, they tell a bigger story.

Which leads us to the second chapter, "Oxygen". Isabella&Sebastian turn up the rhythms, cranking up the production with velocity of a rocket riding up high past the stars, to the moon, and back again. "Oxygen" accelerates past the initial phases of sprung puppy love affinities, and sets off for new destinations where the air becomes scarce, and the diatomic molecules of O2 are increasingly in short supply. If "Helium" sweetly sways in the breezy winds of springs, "Oxygen" is the fever dream of everlasting sunny days, and infinite skies that open up to the dimensions of space, and the mythological palaces of the heavens.

The duo tailor together a song set to be played out of every possible sound machine imaginable. We are talking vintage boomboxes, car stereos, transistor radios, any & all mobile devices, to that one high-end home stereo system that your one friend has, that no one else is allowed to operate, except for them. “Oxygen” is the sound that initiates the arrival of summer, a sound to smile to, a sound that shines with unrestrained excitement. Isabella&Sebastian present a song to interrupt our obsessive doom scrolling habits with a bright reminder that there still is the possibility and presence of happiness and light (even within the unstoppable madness of our messy world).

Isabella on the rotary and Sebastian on the touchtone; press photo courtesy of the 767 Agency.

The duo took the time to talk about the interconnective workings that connect both “Oxygen” and "Helium” together:

Sebastian

Musically, “Oxygen” is an exciting and upbeat funk song with its own groove and glamour while keeping a similar vibe to “Helium”. I took inspiration from the chords and drums [of “Helium”], but added a good bit of new sparkle to them. It leads with a cool, punchy guitar playing the main chords, and a hard-hitting bassline.

Isabella

Lyrically, “Helium” serves as this cool, chill intro for “Oxygen,” which is a lot funkier. “Oxygen” is just a funky little love song about being playful with your partner. I was struggling to find ideas for the lyrics, but I knew it should be a love song. And, what else inspires more than watching five or six classic romcoms in a row to pull inspiration for the story? After that, everything flowed much easier. I wanted it to be simple but catchy, and more in line with modern pop than the other songs on the album.

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