Up until now, Charlie Puth has typically been tagged a ballad boy. With lovey tracks like the Selena Gomez-collaboration “We Don’t Talk Anymore”, sleek “Marvin Gaye”, and “One Call Away”, the 25-year-old’s discography has kept strong ties to innocent, undying adolescent mush. So when the singer dropped “Attention” on iTunes last week, a seething and side-eyed tribute to an insecure ex…(Bella Thorne, are you out there?), our jaws dropped. Originally generated as a homemade, beatboxed voice note on Charlie’s phone while on tour in Tokyo, the bass line for “Attention” is the heart and soul of the track—the relentless source of funk that fuels Puth’s distaste—and our absolute ear-addiction. The visuals are just as cool; Charlie circles clubby LA scenes while an unnamed, chic-but-crazy blonde ex follows his every move. And with nothing but a face-palm and pity, he responds with the track’s apathetic hook: [“You just want attention, you don’t want my heart, maybe you just hate the thought of me with someone new/ you just want attention, I knew from the start, you’re just making sure I’m never gettin’ over you…”].
They really do always come back.
Download on iTunes here; check out the vid below.
