A cinematic soul-pop soundtrack to our quarter-life crisis, Erez Zobary’s new single “Stuck!” is a reckoning with the (highs and) lows of adulting, and what it feels like to be figuring it out one day, and one step, at a time.
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Stream: “Stuck!” – Erez Zobary
There’s a long list of reasons to doubt, but don’t freak out!
Raise your hand if you thought life got easier in adulthood.
As a kid, it all seemed so simple: The older you grew, the more you knew. That seemed to be the rule of thumb, especially for those first eighteen years. A new grade in school meant more knowledge, a deeper understanding of the world, and more tools with which to take on the increasing complexities of life. From my younger self’s perspective, this linear age/knowledge graph tapered off at some point – maybe in the early twenties, around the time you turned 21? – and it was smooth sailing from thereon out. At some point, I’d have cracked the code on “how to be a fully-functioning human being,” and then voila! I’d be a successful adult – while still a kid at heart.
It turns out, that age/knowledge graph never really tapers off. Life only gets more complicated as you get older, and you’re constantly doing your best to keep up with the challenges and changes. “I didn’t sign up for this mystery,” Erez Zobary sings at the top of her new single – and I wholeheartedly agree – but what else can we do, but make our way through and try to hold our heads high? A cinematic soul-pop soundtrack to our quarter-life crisis, “Stuck!” is a reckoning with the (highs and) lows of adulting, and what it feels like to be figuring it out one day, and one step, at a time.
I didn’t sign up for this mystery
Some days I question what I should believe
I wish my therapist would guide me
Some of my friends are getting married
Maybe not all but damn thats scary
Sure I’m in love but I’m not ready
Each day I clock in and I try my best
Keep cashing paychecks till I die I guess
But at least I’ve got myself a standing desk
Perhaps the best advice in this song comes its chorus: “There’s a long list of reasons to doubt, but don’t freak out!” Released March 31 via downlow studio, Erez Zobary’s first single of the year is an all-too relatable reckoning with the never-ending trials and tribulations of adulthood. The lead single off her forthcoming new album Healthy Habits (out this June), “Stuck!” captures the pressures, the uncertainties, and all the dips, dives, and dodges of being a twenty- (or thirty-)something out in the big wide world, without a roadmap, a guide, or any kind of instruction manual to put the pieces together and make sense of things.
One of Toronto’s brightest rising indie pop artists and an Atwood Magazine 2020 Editor’s Pick, singer/songwriter Erez Zobary has made a name for herself over the past near-decade as a radiant beacon of glistening R&B and soul-pop sound. Atwood Magazine previously praised her sophomore album To Bloom as a triumph of sound and feeling: “A radiant record brimming with sweet pop, smoldering R&B, and intimate, grooving neo soul, To Bloom breathes with deep vulnerability and emotion,” we wrote in a 2020 track-by-track feature.
Healthy Habits follows Zobary’s third album Starlight, which released in May 2022; as its name suggests, the new record – at least in theory – finds Zobary working on herself, using her music as an outlet for positive growth and self-improvement. It’s an uplifting, if not brutally honest record, and “Stuck!” pretty much hits the nail on the head on both accounts. The track’s chorus is an emotional peak – one that simultaneously brings her adult-onset anxiety out into the light, and tries to pacify it:
Can you hear the people talking now?
What’s that about? (Oh shut them out!)
There’s a long list of reasons to doubt
But don’t freak out
No don’t freak out!
‘Stuck!’ describes the feeling of watching your life as it flies by you, yet goes nowhere all at the same time.
Of course, not freaking out is far easier said than done, and there’s a laundry list of reasons to feel like things are closing in on you at any given moment. Zobary’s second verse is a quite personal confession of her own inner conflicts around pursuing a full-time career in the music industry; everyone has to have their own barometer of “success” in this world, and sometimes it’s hard to know if you’re doing the right thing for yourself, or if you’re fooling yourself into a false sense of security:
I left my real job to pursue this
Some days I question what the use is
I hear the industry is ruthless
Maybe I’m just full of excuses
I’m scared of finding what the truth is
That I might not really wanna do this
Are we on a good path, or are we just running in place? Again, it would all be a lot simpler if being an adult meant having all the answers. Alas, it doesn’t. If anything, “Stuck!” reminds us that we’re not alone in our experiences of adulthood.
“This song is all about navigating the ups and downs, pressures and expectations of ‘adulting,'” Erez Zobary tells Atwood Magazine. “I wrote this just after turning 26 and being overwhelmed with feelings of confusion, stress, joy, excitement and anxiety for the future. The demo for this song was named ‘stream of consciousness’ because when we [Adam Eisen, David Lipson, and I] sat down to identify our fears/anxieties to put them into a song, it really just flowed out of us.”
“It was really validating that so many of our fears were similar – rejecting 9-5 work culture, wondering about the role of relationships and marriage in our lives, and even questioning whether music was still making us happy and fulfilled. The best way to listen to ‘Stuck!’ is in the morning brushing your teeth getting ready to start your day- whether you’re exhausted and questioning everything or feeling ready to take on the day- as a reminder that we’re all figuring it out and at the end of the day, there is no one way to live your life.”
Can you hear the people talking now?
What’s that about? (Oh shut them out!)
And the voice inside your head
keeps trying to knock you down
There’s a long list of reasons
To doubt
But don’t freak out
For Zobary, matching these struggle-fueled lyrics with bright and buoyant sonics was a no-brainer; not only does it make her song’s messaging a little more palatable, but it also injects an infectious sense of hope to a scenario that can often feel hopeless and overwhelming.
“We wanted the music to sound fun, upbeat and exciting to counter the more serious themes covered in the lyrics and ultimately be an uplifting song,” she explains. “Toronto musicians Caleb Klager (bass), Jon Chiong-Catanus (drums), Ewen Farncombe (piano), and Kubla (guitar) played on the track and brought so much talent to the song. When we were writing the song, it was titled ‘Stuck/ Stream of Consciousness’ and we wanted the music to sound cyclical to mimic the constant questioning we were all experiencing. You can also hear a bit of that craziness in the drum solo and build of the song!”
You got it going for you, keep pushing on
You got it going for you, keep pushing on
Zobary may not sugarcoat adulthood’s pain points, but she doesn’t leave us down in the dumps, either. It turns out adulting really is an endless cycle of getting stuck and learning how to un-stick ourselves. Anxiety comes and goes, and there will be moments of triumph along with moment of paralyzing stress. That’s life… I guess?
Out June 24, Healthy Habits promises to offer a few more tips and tricks for getting by with our heads held high. Zobary also recently announced her album release show at Lee’s Place in Toronto – tickets and more information here. For now, let the soul-stirring bounce and bright light of “Stuck!” shine a little warmth onto your adult life.
No, don’t freak out!
Can you hear the people talking now?
What’s that about? (Oh shut them out!)
And the voice inside your head
keeps trying to knock you down
There’s a long list of reasons to doubt
But don’t freak out
No don’t freak out
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Stream: “Stuck!” – Erez Zobary
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