LOVE,ME is EXN’s new single that comes at the heels of her last release just last month with lIlBOI. Whenever a title includes the word “love”, we automatically correlate it to romantic love, but LOVE,ME is a far cry from pleading with a lover. Rather, EXN muses on the labels others put on her–be it immature, narcissistic, crazy, or immoral, and comes back at them with a self-possessed disposition on fun, nostalgic 8-bit game-inspired chords. She asserts that she is her own idea of ambition and is unapologetic about how she may appear.

First-time collaborator/rapper Dbo echoes EXN’s sentiments on his quirky rhymes. Dbo plays around with the idea of self-preservation, all the while biting back at haters who gossip or trash-talk. Dbo’s signature cadence highlights the distinctive personas of the two rappers, and their ad-libs sprinkled throughout the track seem to run parallel to each other’s vocal arrangements. In between the entertaining sound effects and ad-libs, Dbo’s verse sums up well the empowering message that in the end, we all would rather just be ourselves. And perhaps, being sure of our own sense of self-worth is all the love we may ever really always need.