Exclusive: Hear Meernaa’s Groovy New Song “Thinking Of You”

Oakland-based Meernaa have been creating sway-worthy songs for several years now, but they’ve only just recently announced their debut album, Heart Hunger, arriving June 14 on Native Cat Recordings. The album’s second single, behind last month’s atmospheric “Better Part,” is out today, and you can hear it first here at Paste. Listen to “Thinking Of You” below.

The band, made up of vocalist Carly Bond, bassist Doug Stuart, drummer/percussionist Andrew Maguire and Rob Shelton on keys, have attracted tags like dream-pop and R&B, but their sound is much more fluid than that. “Thinking Of You,” carried by Bond’s sturdy soprano, slowly sinks into a subtle groove similar to that of a slinking Toro y Moi track, where some of their earlier singles, like “Good Luck,” might stray towards a slick neo-soul reminiscent of Benjamin Booker. But Bond’s soulful voice can be heard on all of their songs. Just as “Thinking Of You” begins to melt into a spiral of synths, “when everything is caving in,” Bond builds it back up again and reaches for Whitney Houston-level heights with a beautiful, high-pitched howl. By the time it’s over, it’s hard to believe “Thinking Of You” is the same song you started with.

Listen to Meernaa’s “Thinking Of You” below. Heart Hunger follows their 2018 Strange Life EP—you can preorder it right here.