Christian French is one of the freshest faces, brightest voices and newest tastemakers in alt-pop. Formerly a pre-med student and hockey player at the University of Indiana, Christian now works to make some of your favorite hits with his distinct voice and style. You’ve probably seen and heard him with the likes of Hoodie Allen and Triegy. His latest single is a solo pop song titled, “i think too much.”
A rising electronic sound kicks off the track, with Christian’s vocals bursting in like an intrusive thought. He sings, “Sometimes I think I think too much/Can’t stop, my thoughts come all at once/Maybe I’m crazy, maybe who knows.” His singing moves quickly with small guitar interjections between each lyric. The instrumentals play almost like thoughts in the back of his mind. The way the song moves offers little room for the listener to get distracted or think, similar to the way concerns rush into the head and consume all.
Image courtesy of RCA Records, /Mickey Mars
The verse ends and blends into the next one, as he sings, “I think I think I’ m/Searching for answers high and low…” The electronic background track dips and then picks up, a quick moment of reflection between segments of the song. The background remains upbeat as Christian confronts the fact he’s unhappy but doesn’t know why. Still sounding positive, he admits, “I’m certain there’s something more that I don’t know/And I don’t know/But this isn’t what I want.”
Pulsing beats build, like a mountain being climbed. Christian expresses his internal monologue, his voice taking on more of a spoken-style. He lists, “Questioning things I can’t control/Finding my youth’s been getting old/Losing myself when nothing’s wrong/But who knows if.” The verse bleeds right into the chorus, providing a beat drop after the verse reaches its peak with “who knows.” At 23-years-old, Christian is still young. He still has most of his life ahead of him, and that can be incredibly daunting. He confronts that in this verse, singing about struggling to navigate his youth and grappling with everything set before him. The way the lyrics sound like a mountain rising and then being slid down reflects the way his life has been building up.
Image courtesy of RCA Records, /Mickey Mars
After the chorus loops, the more spoken-style returns, with the intro synths behind it. There isn’t any building with the beat as Christian shares the ways he lies to himself and others about the way he feels, “Summin’ up life in photographs/I’ll say I’m not right when someone asks me/If I’m happy/…I just haven’t found the air…” A familiar feeling for many, Christian puts the feeling of knowing something is wrong but being unable to identify it into not only words but into song.
Christian wants to experience things but struggles to convince himself to do so. He has some optimism after the chorus repeats, singing, “All of these hallways in my mind/Will always lead back to black and white/I’m hoping that one day I’ll be fine.” Oppression of the way he oversimplifies his feelings, leaving little room for a gray area and “summin’ up life.” The guitar twinges behind these somewhat dismal lyrics are light and boppy. One could imagine a guitarist on stage swaying along with him. The song ends with Christian calling out, “La-la-la-da-da/I think I think too much,” yet again using a fun and relatable sound to express a complicated emotion.
Image courtesy of RCA Records, /Mickey Mars
“i think too much” ‘s bright sound contrasts the overwhelming nature of the anxiety-ridden lyrics. The lyrical and musical composition mirrors the way the brain works, everything weaving together. The song maintains its positive sound throughout the whole project, which adds to how enjoyable it is for listeners. During a time when so many minds are reeling, this track could be a quarantine anthem. “i think too much” is a delightful and profoundly catchy enigma.
You can stream “i think too much” everywhere now.
Feature image courtesy of RCA Records, by Mickey Mars
