Indigo De Souza. Photo by Charlie Boss
Later this month, Indigo De Souza will share All of This Will End, the sophomore album from the Asheville indie rock artist. Joining the previously released singles "Younger & Dumber" and "Smog" today is "You Can Be Mean," a growler of a track with the kind of fire that can only come from totally owning a humiliating situation. In De Souza's case, it's a shitty ex.
Read her statement on the track, and the changes she made in her life to avoid such situations, below:
“I wrote ‘You Can Be Mean’ about a brief toxic experience I had with a manipulative and abusive LA model fuckboy. However brief, it had a life-long impact on my understanding of self. Leading up to that experience, I had a history of putting myself in toxic situations and pining for validation from people who treated me poorly. I was stuck in some delusion that I could help abusive people through their trauma and teach them to love me in the way I deserved. I wrote this song when I finally realized that I could choose not to allow harmful behavior into my life, and that there is a deep, deep importance in protecting the body and spirit. I stopped caring about validation from assholes, stopped thinking it was my responsibility to help them, and started caring for myself in a real way. Once I made that switch in my psyche, I began to manifest truly loving, safe, kind, and communicative people into my life. Being loved in the way I deserve begins with loving myself in the way I deserve. Boundaries are so important. The body is a sacred and fragile thing and it deserves every ounce of care.”
De Souza plays both herself and the asshole in the song's charmingly lo-fi video, streaming below. Next month, she'll embark on a big tour of North America and Europe.
