Troye Sivan recently released his new single “Could Cry Just Thinkin About You,” and it’s everything that fans have been waiting for. The song has all of the elements that led to the success of “Blue Neighborhood,” the debut album that catapulted Sivan into the spotlight. In regard to both lyrics and sound, “Could Cry Just Thinkin About You” is reminiscent of the easy, melancholic but comforting tone that made “Blue Neighborhood” so memorable.
This new launch is the extended version of a 2020 song by the same name. The original release came as part of Sivan’s “In a Dream” EP. It was objectively short, consisting of only eight lines and merely functioning as an interlude. Since its drop, however, the song has held a special place in Sivan’s discography and in fans’ hearts. Seeing the overwhelmingly positive response, the singer decided to release a full version.
Lyrically, the full song is relatively straightforward. It tells the story of a romantic obsession, a head-altering infatuation that takes up someone’s space, time and emotion. It’s not fun — and Sivan portrays it as such, with one of his lyrics saying, “Now I’m knee-deep in this mess.” Sivan also goes on to detail the obsession it entails: “Every line I write is something about you / Every guy I want looks something just like you / Every book I read, I only read for you / Every art piece is just to remind you / I don’t know who I am, with or without you.”
In these lyrics, Sivan explains not only losing his love but also losing his sense of self. It’s more than just feeling lonely after a breakup; it’s about having to change your whole life from revolving around one person to coping with their absence. Sivan doesn’t sound like he’s anywhere close to being over the relationship, as he’s even seeing his past partner in the face of new romantic interests. It’s a side effect of many fallouts, and Sivan explains the phenomenon beautifully.
All in all, the song details immense frustration and sadness in the aftermath of losing someone and not being able to get over them. In fact, that’s pretty much how the song came to be. Sivan explained, “I wrote this song crying in my kitchen just as life started to fall apart a bit.” He even went on to dub it the “saddest song ever.” The ballad comes a year after Sivan’s breakup with model Jacob Bixenman, so there is a chance that it could be a result of that separation.
“Could Cry Just Thinkin About You” also fits the theme of heartbreak sonically. It has a sort of floaty, soft production that adds to the song just as much as the lyrics do. The production doesn’t try too hard, allowing Sivan’s echoing, breathy vocals to take center stage. His voice is accented by a subtle harmony that makes the piece feel a lot grander than its production. It’s one of those songs that could probably convey its message through instruments alone, and that’s a difficult feat.
Accompanying the song is a music video in which Sivan lays in a pool wearing a white sailor hat. The video is quite simple, featuring only that shot and location, but it’s a perfect choice for the song. The pool is somewhat dark, and the blue water acts as a shimmering background for Sivan as he sings, reflecting the sensation of floating that “Could Cry Just Thinkin About You” induces.
On the other hand, it could also represent the feeling of suffocating or drowning in one’s loneliness and frustration. However Sivan intended it to be interpreted, the video was a beautiful and fitting choice of self-expression.
All of these song elements are ones dearly coveted by Sivan’s fanbase. The breathy vocals, the soft production, the slight vocal echo effect — all the same characteristics that defined “Blue Neighborhood” and made it such a popular album.
Even the theme of heartbreak seems to echo the sentiments of a lot of his earlier works. It’s a shift from the slightly tropical, almost techno vibe of Sivan’s previous releases, such as “Take Yourself Home” and “Dance to This.” Instead, “Could Cry Just Thinkin About You” feels a lot more personal in a similar way to “For Him” and “Heaven.” Seeing that Sivan’s debut album was a favorite for many fans, it’s no surprise that this recent release served as a special gift to all of them.
As much as it reminds fans of his debut, “Could Cry Just Thinkin About You” is perfectly placed within the theme of the “In a Dream” EP. Sivan described the EP as “A story that’s still unfolding, this small collection of songs explor[ing] an emotional rollercoaster period in my life when the feelings and thoughts were most shockingly fresh.”
He then went on to confess, “Revisiting these songs and moments is tough, but I’m proud of this music and excited to have it out in the world.” It’s a stunning, realistic story, and his latest release fits it to a tee, as reminiscent of his older works as it may be.
Sivan’s latest release is undeniable proof that he is an artist with an intentional and note-worthy sound, no matter how much he experiments with or deviates from it. His honesty and raw vulnerability are his crowning features and they shine in all of his major releases, this most recent one definitely included.
