Derek Simpson’s new track, out today, is so LA: the vintage camera film gives off effortless cool, the palm trees and blue skies scream beach, and the complaint about traffic (“We're always like twenty minutes late anyway”) speaks for itself. 222, an apt name for a two-minute-twenty-two-second-long song, sounds like a pair of linen curtains billowing in Simpson’s airy vocals and the gentle drum beat.
But if you take a second listen, and watch the music video, you’ll find that the song is more than just a groovy track to blast while tanning. From the first clip, we see that the video focuses on one woman, presumably Simpson’s partner. They’re candid shots taken with a loving eye; she adjusts her hair in the rearview mirror, tries on a silly bandana, kisses him by the water. The lyrics also point to the love-ballad aspect. Simpson either speaks to her (“Do you, do you / Have anything to do, to do?”) or with her (“We're slowly burnin' in the evening”)—a clear indication that his life is contoured in harmony with his partner's.
Perhaps the best way to describe Simpson’s new release is celestial. It’s set in the City of Angels, the soft sunlight is ethereal, the title is even an angel number. The light vibe and intimate love scenes mean that the track occupies a unique space. 222 isn’t an overly intense declaration, but rather a too rare no-frills, ‘just because’ kind of love song: perfectly California.