“Stone Cold” by Deb Never & Kenny Beats

It isn’t news to say that twenty-somethings in the U.S. are a jaded group. This is especially true in the dating world where hundreds of matches are (theoretically) at your finger tips thanks to apps like Tinder and Hinge. This, combined with widespread depression, anxiety, and loneliness is creating a generation that feels very cavalier and at times, adrift. Enter “Stone Cold” by Deb Never and Kenny Beats, a song that is very much of the moment.

The low-key melody kicks in and sets the slow moving pace, while the adlibs in the background punch things up in a way that keeps the track fun and interesting. The @kennybeats production allows @debnever to be front and center but also sets the mood perfectly. While the song’s structure is fairly simple, the lyrical content is genius. From an interpersonal standpoint, “Stone Cold” is a great way to describe dating in the U.S. There is a perceived (actual?) lack of commitment. Sometimes, people are even lauded for a complete disregard of their partner’s feelings. When played off of wrestling great Stone Cold Steve Austin, the lyric “he’s slamming bodies left and right/ Just to prove a point/That he’s the strongest man alive, but a lonely boy,” Deb really builds on this theme. It’s cold how this boy just runs through partners. He does it to seem cool and strong, maybe trying to get the attention of an ex-lover, but he’s broken inside. He could lay down all the game in the world and sleep with everybody in it, but it’s not going to fix him.

He doesn’t answer her phone calls, and won’t make up his mind about what the relationship should be. The song ends with Deb confessing her love for this boy, while he seems to leave her unrequited either out of a lack of will or ability to do so. One person hangs on while the other seems uninterested. Maybe Deb is doing the same to some other person, keeping them on the hook just like the boy has done to her, creating a chain of one-sided love. It’s actually a little depressing, but as people fill books trying to diagnose what’s wrong with the youth, “Stone Cold” is a poignant commentary on the state of things, and it only takes Deb Never 2 minutes and 47 seconds to do it.