Daily Dose: Timothy Heller, “Not Even for You”
Images via Alex Ines, the artist Music Features Timothy Heller
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L.A. singer-songwriter Timothy Heller is formerly of the indie-pop duo Dresses, who shared stages with Phoenix and Au Revoir Simone over the course of their career. On Nov. 7, Heller is set to release her debut solo EP, on which she has been working since Dresses’ disbandment in 2017. Following two singles in 2018—the fittingly dreamy, vaguely shoegaze-inspired “Sleep” and “See Ya,” an anthemic pop-rock kiss-off—she’s released “Not Even for You” today (Oct. 28).
With her unique, old-timey cadence and polished pop sensibilities, Heller’s tunes will appeal to fans of Kate Nash (another tour-mate) and She and Him. Her new track, “Not Even for You,” explores how mental illness can take a toll on a relationship. The single features simmering guitars that reach a boil in its chorus, as Heller warns a partner not to get too attached. “Keep me out of your head, baby / I’ll never leave your bed, baby,” she croons, attesting to the immobilizing force of depression: “It might sound nice, but it’s cruel / I’ll never move, not even for you.”
“I wrote this song at the darkest point of my life. It’s also the song I’m most proud of,” says Heller in a statement. “I don’t think I could have been more honest about how I felt at the time. It’s about how mental illness affects relationships and the hopelessness I was feeling around that.”
Listen to “Not Even for You” below.