Teaming up with songwriter Matthieu McReina, Ralphy was joined in-studio by producer C.F.Sullivan, with beat contributions by Canadian-based Yuri Buzynnik (her previous collaborator on‘Hesitate’), to deliver this groovy synth-pop bop that has all the dance-y retro stylings you’ve come to know and love from Ralphy’s eclectic genre-bending.
From the chorus awash with sparkling synths to the driving, disco backbeat throughout, «Pretend» has you feeling like you’re right back out for a night on the town. This song is all about taking back your confidence: the opening lines lay out the struggle of falling for someone who’s only interested in playing with your emotions, and Ralphy’s vocals capture all the tumultuous feelings of one-sided love, punchy and self-assured even as she sings the heartbreaking refrain, «I know that your love’s pretend».But then a switch occurs: instead of showing up at the cool-blooded lover’s front door, they’re showing up at yours, begging to be let in «just one more» time. The feisty chorus, Here I am» transforms from plaintive to triumphant in a total boost that comes from moving on from someone who only wants you when you’re over them.
This track is the mood-lift we all need to step back into our power and fall in love with ourselves – no pretending needed.
