Endearments is the project of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Marksson. Initially written to convey the dysphoria of obsessive-compulsive disorder, “it quickly became a song about the way my OCD was affecting my relationship, and making it difficult for me to see the toxic expectations that were hurting me,” says Marksson. The song was recorded and produced by Ariel Loh (Yoke Lore, Plastic Picnic, Drinker) and mastered by Heba Kadry (Beach House, Slowdive, Porches). Fans of Minks, and Porches will definitely fall for this track.

The resulting track unspools unanswerable questions over mighty pulses from drummer Jonathan Schmidt and Marksson’s own multi-tracked vocals, which flicker, omnipresent and cool, around the edges of the song’s atmosphere. “Left Side” ponders the limits of love and empathy, its hook—“you should know me like I do”—asking for the impossible as glimmering arps cycle between twin poles of solipsism and codependence.

Kevin Marksson on “Left Side:”

“This track is special to me—and not just because it’s so personal. Left Side really set the tone for what I’m doing musically right now. When Ariel (Loh, the producer) and I were recording the vocals for Left Side we kept piling more and more doubles and harmonies onto my voice in the chorus. I wasn’t sure what Endearments should sound like vocally until that moment, and I love the way those extra voices add something unique and unsettling to the topline. It’s been fun to play with that same idea on the other songs I’ve written over the last year.”