In Love and Overthinking It

Daniel Caesar’s Do You Like Me? sounds like it belongs in a different decade. The R&B single has a laid-back, funky sound to it, compliments of the slow-ish tempo and punchy baseline. Coupled with Caesar’s signature high-pitched voice, Do You Like Me? is airy and dreamlike. If you told me the song sampled a single from the 1970s, I’d believe you.

If you listen a little closer and pay attention to the lyrics, the dreaminess fades and brings the listener back to 2023. In it, Caesar tells a story of a complicated relationship he’s in. He finds himself overthinking, acknowledging his desire for more through a series of questions, all the while reflecting on his mistakes as a partner. These mistakes include him admitting to sleeping with his partner’s friend (yikes). Once this detail is revealed, it’s easy to understand why he’d be questioning the state of their relationship in the first place. For me, the juxtaposition between the sound and the lyrics certainly made this track an interesting listen.

This single, along with Please Do Not Lean (released in 2022) will feature on Caesar’s new album Never Enough. While his first two albums were released as an independent artist, this will be his first body of work released by a major record label. Caesar announced that he’d signed with Republic Records in early 2022. As a long-time fan of his work, I’ll be curious to hear how his art changes now that he’s backed by a corporation. Here’s to hoping the changes will be positive.