Alaina May Finds Beauty in Emotional Contradiction on “Casual”
A Dreamy Indie Release Rooted in Heartbreak and Self-Awareness
There’s something quietly magnetic about the way Alaina May writes about heartbreak. Nothing feels over-explained or dramatized for effect. Instead, her music lingers in the in-between — the blurry emotional spaces where longing, self-awareness, intimacy, and uncertainty all exist at once. On her new single “Casual,” the Brooklyn-based artist captures that tension with startling clarity, turning emotional confusion into something soft, cinematic, and deeply human.
Produced by Brooklyn indie-rock duo TOLEDO, “Casual” pairs airy, atmospheric production with Alaina’s disarming vocal delivery, slowly unfolding into a track that feels both intimate and emotionally consuming. What began as an acoustic-forward song written the day of a Williamsburg set eventually transformed into something larger in the studio — a dreamlike indie-pop release with emotional weight sitting beneath every layered guitar and swelling chorus.
Turning Emotional Confusion Into Songwriting
“Casual lives in that space where you mistake limerence for real connection,” Alaina tells Everyday Jams. “After something ends, even the smallest moments of closeness feel heightened and intoxicating because they’re filling a vulnerable void. You can be completely self-aware — naming the pattern, recognizing the push and pull — and still not be able to stop yourself from getting pulled in.”
That emotional contradiction sits at the core of the release. Written in the aftermath of both a breakup and a major life transition, “Casual” explores the false comfort of temporary connection and the realization that some people simply aren’t built to feel things halfway. Rather than romanticizing detachment, Alaina leans fully into vulnerability, allowing the song to exist in all of its emotional messiness.
Building the Sonic World of “Casual”
The sonic world surrounding the track mirrors that intensity. While the verses remain spacious and restrained, the production gradually opens into heavier, more urgent moments that give the lyrics room to fully land. “We wanted the sound and feel of the production to build a sonic home for the urgency of the lyric,” she explains. “The lyrics are obviously rather intense, and we wanted the production to do that justice.”
The result feels immersive without ever losing its intimacy. There’s a softness to the production that allows every emotional detail to breathe, while still carrying the weight and urgency that runs through the track’s central themes.
Writing Through Emotional Honesty
That honesty extends far beyond the song itself and into the broader themes shaping Alaina’s songwriting. Growing up in a small, conservative environment outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she spent years trying to balance outside expectations with her own evolving sense of self. Over time, songwriting became the place where she could process those emotions most freely — exploring connection, heartbreak, longing, and the complexities of growing into yourself.
That emotional openness gives her songwriting a rare sense of intimacy. Even when “Casual” centers heartbreak and uncertainty, there’s still warmth underneath it all — a feeling that vulnerability, even when messy, is ultimately something worth embracing rather than hiding from.
A New Chapter for Alaina May
With more music arriving later this year, “Casual” feels less like a standalone release and more like the beginning of a larger artistic shift. Alaina describes this era as a turning point creatively, explaining that these songs feel like the closest she’s ever come to saying exactly what she’s always wanted to say.
And if “Casual” is the first glimpse into that world, it’s an incredibly promising one.
