Song You Need: Lea Sen’s “Dragonfly ʚĭɞ” pushes it all away

The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.

Léa Sen's "Dragonfly ʚĭɞ" has a serene quality that belies the hesitation and worry that inspired it. The song, written, produced, mixed, and engineered by the 23-year-old London-based artist, details a period in her life in which her internal strife no longer felt ignorable and a change was needed.

Lyrically, she appears to explore a relationship that is defined by desire and regret in equal measure. "You like what I do so call me back," she sings over spacey drums and a feather-lite guitar part. Later she hints at darkness as she says: "You like when I’m bruised I’ll give you that." The hypnotic production mirrors that feeling of a co-dependent situation while her vocals on the last line cut out halfway through, as if the track would loop over and over if someone hadn't stepped in. The pitch of Sen's vocal, along with the icy detachment from any sentiment, is reminiscent of FKA twigs and her hyper-stylized, often devastating music. Sen is developing as an artist, this song will appear on the new EP You Of Now Pt.2 (out April 21), and you suspect in the future she may lean into a more maximal sound to express her ideas. For now, however, there is a power in the clarity of her voice.