Last week, Beach Bunny dropped their newest single, “Oxygen” and yet again, they have managed to musically capture exactly what it feels like to have a crush. As cuffing season comes to a close this November, Beach Bunny validates both the people who have turned their situationships into actual real-life relationships (I’m looking at you, happy couples walking around campus) and those who are still in the talking phase.

Beach Bunny released their most recent EP Blame Game in early 2021, photo courtesy of Beach Bunny

Like most other songs from Beach Bunny, their newest single is still defined by a classic 90s and early 2000s rock sound. However, it also represents a slightly new direction for the Chicago-based band, as “Oxygen” almost ventures into the territory of pop. The rosy vocals of Lili Trifilio, the band’s lead singer, take center stage in this song to transform their newest single into a sensation. Reminiscent of Riot! (Paramore’s sophomore album), “Oxygen” allows Trifilio to truly explore the sad girl rocking she was born to do.

The members of Beach Bunny (from left to right): Jon Alvarado, Matt Henkels, Lili Trifilio, and Anthony Vaccaro, photo courtesy of Beach Bunny

In the press release accompanying the song, Trifilio explained that the single is “about the perils of navigating romantic feelings, the joy that comes with allowing love to happen, and the act of letting go of the anxiety and our inner voices that make us feel undeserving of love.” The cover art for the single echoes the sentiment from the press release–– it seems as though our girl definitely needs some serious CPR.

Suddenly, everything is easy
I’ve never felt something so deeply
‘Cause with you, with you, I breathe again

lyrics from “Oxygen” by Beach Bunny

The cover art also offers a little more than just empathize with having a crush. It also foreshadows a new direction for the band, which seems to veer sharply towards sci-fi imagery (as evident from the album art’s absolutely ripped purple alien and space-y metallic outfit).

Single album art for “Oxygen,” courtesy of Paul Mann.

Trifilio espouses the nervousness and warmth of new love. She absolutely rocks while doing it, with a high number of beats per minute, strong guitar and drums, married with killer vocals. We expect nothing less from the queen of making you cry while you dance.

Official Lyric Video for “Oxygen”

Beach Bunny began touring in Columbus, OH on November 2, and arrives in Nashville on November 19, where they will be performing at Mercy Lounge. The tour is sold out for almost every city on the docket. Fans can pray that we don’t have another Solar Power incident, where each of the singles seriously surpass the quality of the album as a whole. While it is uncertain if the complete album will be released before the tour finishes, listeners can be certain that if the rest of the album is like this song, it will absolutely be worth the wait.

TL;DR: A great single and introduction to a (hopefully soon) upcoming album, albeit its slight similarities to their other songs. I am looking forward to seeing how Beach Bunny grows as a band with the release of a new album.