The R&B-pop singer professionally known as Quarterback lays out a transcendent track, reminiscing on a past lover and how their love will always be at a crossroads. Its accompanying video is a lo-fi acid trip adventure with bright colours, trippy animation, and Bates himself sporting elf ears while he interacts with CGI fairies. Animated by Tech, coloured by Bảo Ngô, and edited by Zuleyma Prado, the playfulness of the video is contrasted with sad lyricism, as Bates is left wondering if the love he once had is only good when he’s in a state of euphoria.

Following this video drop, Bates is gearing up to release a Remix EP on July 1. The five-track offering invites four others collaborators, including Vancouver-based duo Big Kill (fka We Are The City), who’ve all helped to reproduce and rework versions of the song.

We chatted with Quarterback to discuss the single, his stance on drugs and the, umm,  high of releasing new music.

How would you describe your sound and approach to songwriting? 

At first I wanted to do R&B but after this pandemic, I’ve been leaning way more into pop. R&B and pop is what I grew up listening to with my family and I wanted to stay true to what makes me most excited. I’ve been making electronic ethereal pop with R&B vocals, lots of high-end sounds to bring in that atmospheric galaxy vibe. When I write, I like to picture glitter in space and queers twerking on Saturn. 

How did you get into writing and recording music? 

I originally was in music school and trained in classical voice. I always sang gospel and R&B on the side because it’s what felt the most cathartic. I took an elective course where I got to be in a band and we performed some covers at the year-end recital. A bunch of people in the jazz program were there and my friend asked me to join their cover band. I then joined another cover band and started playing weekly shows. We eventually started to write originals and that’s when I met Hugh Mackie, who started working on originals with me. This was when Quarterback was born and I got to create music that resonated with me.

What kind of music did you grow up listening to?

I listened to everything. To name a few, I loved Destiny’s Child, Usher, En Vogue, MC Hammer, Shania Twain, Stevie Wonder, Billy Talent, Mother Mother, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Jay Z, Kanye. I was such a pop culture kid growing up, and was well versed in music culture. I also listened to lots of musical theatre, classical music, and jazz. I’ve tried everything at least twice.