New York’s Ezra has been an LA transplant for several years, eventually making a home out of California. However, his new life chasing his dreams comes at a heavy cost, not just with LA’s infamously egregious rent prices. He’s starting the new year by exploring the relationships that mean the most to him in his single, “Gauze.”

Anyone with a sibling can relate to the lyrics' specific growing pains. I can relate to the idea that moving far away from your sibling can create a divide or rift. My sister and I were just on the phone talking about how it was difficult before I moved back to the Bay Area, as I spent 12 years 500 miles away from her in San Diego.

Realistically, siblings will always want us to chase our dreams, even if it hurts them at the moment due to physical distance.

These sentimental themes tug at my heartstrings. The details run deep; Ezra mentions his sibling’s fear of the dark, whether it’s literal, metaphorical, or both. His clever wordplay is packaged neatly in a hyperpop dreamscape. “Gauze” erases the tigma surrounding hyperpop’s infamous word salad lyrical stylings, insinuating that poetry very much has its place within the genre.

The song’s production work is marked by overdriven synthesizers and intricately chopped-up vocals, perhaps indicating the nervousness that comes with having such a vulnerable conversation in front of an audience. These choices make it much easier to digest such introspective verses and a catchy chorus.