Otlo (a.k.a. Preston Bearden) envisioned his latest single, “Daisy,” as a collision of indie rock and vintage video games. “Both things elicit feelings of nostalgia and comfort, and I’ve always been fascinated with the relationship between the two,” says the Chattanooga, Tenn., native. “I knew I wanted the song to sound huge and borderline chaotic at times. The combination of the guitar and drums and the synthetic pad and piano sounds gives the song a digital/retro edge.”
Now based in Nashville, the 21-year-old lo-fi pop tinkerer gained some online momentum earlier this year when “But A Dream” (off his 2023 debut, Woozy) found its way onto Spotify’s Fresh Finds Indie playlist. Another single, “Sweet Nothings,” has logged more than 150,000 streams. For Otlo, “Daisy” felt like a logical step forward. “It’s a little rougher around the edges compared to ‘Sweet Nothings,’ but I’m proud of the way it turned out,” he says.
There’s also the novel subject matter. “I decided to write the song about an imaginary girlfriend,” says Otlo. “It’s like when you’re little and you have your first imaginary friend—and because they’re imaginary, they have all the positive traits you can dream of.”
We’re proud to premiere Otlo’s “Daisy.”
—Hobart Rowland
