Toronto’s CON THE ARTIST transforms tension into tenderness on “Only You,” a pulsing, dreamy indie pop confessional that embraces the beauty of imperfect love, finding meaning in choosing someone through every high, low, and in-between.

Stream: “Only You” – CON THE ARTIST

Fighting with someone you love doesn’t always mean something is broken – sometimes it’s proof that there’s still something worth holding onto.

The sharp edges, the miscommunications, the moments where you say too much or not enough – they don’t erase the connection; rather, they reveal it. In those uneasy spaces between frustration and forgiveness, love stops being ideal and starts becoming real. CON THE ARTIST leans into that tension, finding clarity not in perfection but in the choice to stay, to feel, and to keep showing up anyway. On “Only You,” he turns conflict into commitment – a pulsing, emotionally charged reminder that the person you’re willing to fight with might just be the one you can’t live without.

I know you hate when I’m not vacant
When I’m caught up with these pills I’m takin’
I can see the disappointment in your eyes
But you give me the time of day, time of the day

We don’t normally fight
Leaving me tongue tied
Right before I slide
Call me crazy, love debating
It’s a compromise,
Called you to apologize
Why you so surprised?

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the lyric video for “Only You,” the latest pulsing, dreamy, heart-on-sleeve indie pop confessional from CON THE ARTIST. Originally released February 27, 2026 via Wax Records, the track marks the artist’s first offering of the year (following a feature on Kaiya Gamble’s January single “Ordinary”), and continues a steady stream of releases in the wake of his 2024 debut EP BEST DAYS. With each new track, the Toronto-based artist born Conan Karpinski has continued to build out a world where vulnerability and immediacy move in lockstep – showcasing his knack for raw, emotionally resonant songwriting, cinematic production, and catchy, all-consuming, and instantly memorable melodies.

For CON THE ARTIST, “Only You” isn’t rooted in some idealized version of love; it’s grounded in the moments that test it.

“Not every love song starts with romance – this one started with an argument,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “That morning, my ex and I got into it, and I had to head out for a session before we could resolve anything. I left the house feeling frustrated and after a long reflective drive in the car I ended up calling her. We talked it through, and I told her that if I was going to argue or fight with anyone, I was glad it was with her.”

Now hey – hey !
Rather be in trenches with you,
and only you
Now hey – hey !
If I break I’m breaking for you,
and only you

“Like any relationship, ours wasn’t perfect, but I realized that I was grateful that all the messiness, imperfections, and hard moments were with her. The song comes from that realization, being thankful to fight with this person and bicker with them because at the end of the day you still have them in your life. If I was going to smile, cry, love, or break… then it would only be for her.”

That realization – choosing someone not despite the friction, but because of it – becomes the emotional backbone of the song, turning everyday conflict into something deeper, steadier, and more enduring. And yet, for all its emotional weight, “Only You” still carries a sense of lift – a moment of release that hits just as hard as the realization behind it.

“My favorite thing is everyone turning their heads and looking at me about ten seconds into the song when the beat and melody kick in,” Karpinski adds. “It’s almost like the friendship stamp of approval for your new lover, except it’s for a song.”

The moment he’s describing – when the beat drops, when the room shifts, when something clicks – feels like the song’s thesis in motion: A rush of recognition, a spark of connection, and the newfound certainty that, for all the chaos that comes with loving someone, you’d still choose them every time.

That feeling pulses through every corner of “Only You.” Warm, conversational vocals glide over a beat that arrives with intention, transforming the artist’s quiet reflections into a fuller, brighter, and bolder expression of self. Synths swirl and shimmer around his voice, lifting and supporting each phrase, while drums shuffle beneath with a dynamic, ever-evolving pulse – constantly building forward momentum without ever overwhelming CON THE ARTIST’s emotional core. There’s a push and pull baked into the song’s production – softness giving way to movement, restraint opening into release – mirroring the emotional arc at the heart of the track itself.

When he sings, “Rather be in trenches with you, and only you,” it lands less like a grand romantic gesture and more like a hard-earned truth – a choice shaped by experience, by conflict, by everything that’s already been tested and survived. The phrasing is simple, but the weight behind it is anything but. This isn’t love in its honeymoon phase; it’s love that’s been challenged, questioned, and ultimately reaffirmed.

Elsewhere, lines like “If I break I’m breaking for you” deepen that sense of devotion, blurring the line between vulnerability and resolve. There’s risk in that kind of openness – in tying your highest highs and lowest lows to another person – but “Only You” doesn’t shy away from it. Instead, it leans in, embracing the reality that love, at its most meaningful, is rarely clean or easy.

And that’s where the song finds its staying power: Not in perfection, but in presence. In choosing someone not just when it’s easy, but when it’s complicated. In recognizing that the very things that make a relationship messy are often the same things that make it matter.

In the end, “Only You” lingers because it feels authentic, and lived – not just heard, but understood.

It’s catchy in all the right ways, built on sweet melodies that stay with us long after the music fades, but it’s the emotional honesty underneath that gives it weight. There’s catharsis in that duality – in dancing through the tension, in finding something steady inside the chaos, in realizing that love doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes, it just has to be real. And in choosing that – in choosing someone, fully and without illusion – CON THE ARTIST captures something rare: A love song that doesn’t escape the mess, but finds its beauty within it.

Stream “Only You” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and let it pull you into its wondrous world – where love may not be perfect, but it’s undeniably yours.

— —

:: stream/purchase Only You here ::

:: connect with CON THE ARTIST here ::

— —

Stream: “Only You” – CON THE ARTIST

— — — —

Connect to CON THE ARTIST on
Facebook, 𝕏, TikTok, Instagram

Discover new music on Atwood Magazine

 © courtesy of the artist

:: Stream CON THE ARTIST ::