Rad Cat is returning to his roots on the double-sided single ‘One For Me / Think About Me,’ a serotonin-soaked label debut pulled as the final release from NIGHTMODE’s seventh season of releases.
The conversation on how music affects our moods has been discussed ad nauseam, with an endless list of studies showing empirical evidence that songs have the power to stir something deep within the soul. No one is arguing otherwise. Christian Ariza is a producer from San Diego who harnesses a special knack for mining the aura of happiness, with an enchanting and versatile catalog of tracks he’s put out under his Rad Cat alias.
The Mexican American sensation has explored a bubbly sound that leans into his fascination with anime and video games. While he’s managed to skip across genres with incredible ease, the fast-rising artist recently found his way back home to house music, a genre he considers to be one of his first true loves.
Amid this pivot, Billboard highlighted him in their ’10 Latin electronic producers to Watch’ in celebration of last year’s Hispanic heritage month. On his debut with NIGHTMODE, Rad Cat is purring with two jovial tracks that finds him clawing deeper into his own corner in dance music.
The leading track is a giddy and gushing nu disco number by the name of “One For Me.” As insinuated in its title, it follows an enamored person with hearts in her eyes. A rosy falsetto revel in the fact that she’s spoken for, as the lyrics “Got a boy / Got a boy / He makes me feel so good” are sung with the delivery of an almost childlike infatuation. Built around the vocal are a flurry of feel-good elements including strutting guitar strums, vocoder flourishes, hazy synth slides, laser fills, and an ear-pleasing groove that are just as dreamy as the object of her heart’s desire.
Filling out the B-side is “Think About Me,” which turns the tables and picks at the scab of uncertainty surrounding a newfound crush. The million-dollar question is posed in the main vocal refrain: “Do you think about me when you’re all alone?” The internal monologue lingers over a rush of iridescent melodic stabs, sparkling textures, hip-hop ad libs, and perfectly timed backspins.
There’s even a hint of trap sprinkled into the mix during the bridge, with an 808-twist thrown in to presumably keep the listener on their toes—a necessary measure considering the subject matter at hand. Across both tracks, Rad Cat looks to a former version of himself, all while pushing himself into unforeseen territory.
“When I first started making music, all the songs I made were cute, cheerful, and uplifting. They made me feel good. They made me feel alive. It was basically me converting my personality into sound. With these releases, I wanted to go back to my roots. House music has always and will always hold a special place in my heart; it’s my favorite type of electronic music. I decided to take everything that I’ve learned along the way from genres like future bass, house, midtempo, and R&B, and blend them all together in a way that’s unique to me. I think that I’m always my own biggest critic, but these songs are a new direction for me that I am genuinely super excited about.” — Rad Cat
