Music (Underscores song)
| "Music" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Underscores | ||||
| from the album U | ||||
| Released | June 27, 2025 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:27 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter | April Harper Grey | |||
| Producer | Underscores | |||
| Underscores singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| Music on YouTube | ||||
"Music" is a song by the American musician Underscores. It was released as the lead single to her upcoming third studio album, U (2026), on June 27, 2025, through Mom + Pop and Corporate Rockmusic. Written and produced by Underscores, the song's production combines elements of EDM, hyperpop, dubstep, and pop-punk, with its lyrics detailing a romantic relationship through music-related terms. The track was released alongside its music video, directed by Underscores herself. "Music" received positive reviews from music critics, who often praised its production style and lyrics. On July 5, 2025, Underscores released both a stepchart and a lyric video for the song.
Background and release
Underscores debuted "Music" live during her performance at Coachella 2025 on April 12, 2025. She would go on to preview it at several other live shows afterwards. On June 25, Underscores teased the song's music video on Twitter,[1] which she followed with an announcement that the song would be releasing that Friday.[2] On the night of its release, she performed the song at Pitchfork & Them Present: Night Out, hosted at Knockdown Center.[3][4]
"Music" was released as the lead single for U on June 27, 2025, via Mom + Pop and Corporate Rockmusic.[5] Alongside its release, Underscores uploaded its accompanying music video to YouTube. Ochiai Shohei, who designed the single's cover art, posted various early sketches to his Twitter account.[6] On July 5, Underscores shared the song's lyric video,[7] coinciding with its official stepchart being made available for download.[8]
Composition
"Music" is an EDM[5] track with combinations of hyperpop, dubstep, and pop-punk[9] with a runtime of three minutes and twenty-seven seconds[10] In its lyrics, Underscores uses music-themed imagery as a metaphor for being in love.[11] The track was written and recorded in Chicago, Oslo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Cologne, and Glasgow,[12] with Heba Kadry as its mastering engineer.[10]
Critical reception
Upon its release, "Music" received positive reviews from music critics. In a track review for Pitchfork, Kieran Press-Reynolds called the song's composition "endearingly askew, littered with little tonal jumps and ornate glitches. Grey turns abrasive percussion and 8-bit gurgles into the raw ingredients of desire." He reflected that Underscores's pre-release performance at Knockdown Center made it "clear that she's forever the kid who grew up tinkering on SoundCloud and worshipping Skrillex", similarly stating that the song is made "for the people nursed on Monstercat, for collectors of Skullcandy headphones, for whom love in 2025 feels like a Syzy-ian EDM-trap eruption of noise."[5] Rolling Stone Philippines characterized its attitude as "bratty and sincere, like the internet built it from scratch and left no manual behind."[13] Writing for KCRW's website, Stella Merims described the lyrics of "Music" as "both heartfelt and witty," lauding it as "the kind of song you notice something new about with every listen."[9]
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Underscores's official website[14] and Tidal.[10]
- Underscores – vocals, songwriting, production
- Heba Kadry – mastering engineer
- Ochiai Shohei – cover art
References
- ^ Grey, April Harper (June 25, 2025). "@underscoresplus on X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ "Music on Friday". X (formerly Twitter). June 25, 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran (July 1, 2025). "Underscores: "Music"". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Lafontant, Olivier (June 27, 2025). "Night Out 2025: Pitchfork and Them's Showcase for the Future of Queer Music". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ a b c Press-Reynolds, Kieran (July 1, 2025). "Underscores: "Music"". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
- ^ @ochiaishohei (June 27, 2025). "Artwork for 'Music' @underscoresplus". Twitter. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ underscores (July 5, 2025). underscores — Music (Lyric). Retrieved July 5, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "'Music' Stepchart Download". underscores. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ a b Merims, Stella (August 20, 2025). "5 Songs to Hear This Week: Geese, Church Chords, Ninajirachi". KCRW. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c underscores - Music, Tidal, June 27, 2025, retrieved February 27, 2026
- ^ Wang, Stefanie. "Songs You Need In Your Life This Week". The Fader. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ "U–CD". U4ya. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- ^ Philippines, Rolling Stone (August 5, 2025). "8 Songs You Need to Know: Burial, Chezka, Hev Abi, and More". Rolling Stone Philippines. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
- ^ "Music — underscores". underscores.plus. Retrieved August 25, 2025.