Indie-pop trio, Lotion Princess, have released their new single, ‘Reassurance.’ The new euphoric track touches upon many complex themes, one being the yearning for reassurance. The lyrics describe a toxic sense of needing that reassurance so badly that it seems as if you can’t survive without it. The single opens with the following related lines, “Are you mad at me. I don’t know what I mean. I just wanna feel closer to you baby. All this insecurity. Grows so deep inside of me.” The desperation for certainty drives the energy and power of the song. The backing vocals of the chorus “Want you…to know…I’m sorry” capture the sincerity of the apology, but are ultimately sentimental words delivered from an honest yet broken place.
The single is deeply rooted in the theme of OCD and the grip it can have on a person, and a relationship. Singer-songwriter Sasha Snoad of Lotion Princess speaks on her own struggles with OCD: “I’ve struggled with relational OCD for my whole life, along with other forms of OCD. When most people think of OCD they think of cleanliness, hand washing, and being a “neat freak,” for me, OCD shows up as dynamics in close relationships. The way OCD works is having a thought (the obsession) and subsequently doing something that neutralizes the thought (the compulsion). My compulsion is reassurance-seeking, and I’ve done it a lot in my relationship with my partner, soon to be my spouse. It’s not always reassurance-seeking like “do you want to be with me” – it can be “did that thing I said hurt your feelings” or “are you mad at me?” This song is about the frustration and guilt I feel about bringing the OCD into our relationship, and fissures and pain it has causedThis track gives voice to the panic I experience while in the throws of the OCD cycle, and the yearning for recovery… At the same time, this song is about caring for myself when I’m at my worst, especially when I’m mad at myself for not being able to heal quicker.”