Tia Gostelow has nothing to be sorry for.
Videos by American Songwriter
In the Australian singer-songwriter’s new single, “PSYCHO”—premiering below—Gostelow delivers a fierce response to gaslighting through gorgeous vocals and throbbing production.
“‘PSYCHO’ was written about my experiences with gaslighting in relationships,” Gostelow tells American Songwriter of the track. “I constantly thought I was the issue, that everything was my fault and I kept apologizing for things that I later realised weren’t my fault at all. I feel like when you are in these circumstances, sometimes it feels like you’re going insane. I felt like I was turning into this psycho person and it seemed like nobody else saw where I was coming from.”
“Sorry that you think I’m the problem / you close off now I’m the one struggling / maybe it was me being the cold one / maybe it was you,” sings the Queensland-born artist in the opening verse. “Convince me that I was the wrong one / I blamed me but that was the problem / maybe it was you just being stubborn / baby it was you.”
The song builds to a pulsing crescendo, with Gostelow hitting her stride as she belts the final choruses. It’s a deeply felt, festival-ready alt-pop banger from a 20-year-old who’s been honing her live performance chops for nearly a decade.
“I’m from Mackay which is a regional town in Central Queensland, Australia,” Gostelow told the AU review back in February. “I moved to Brisbane about 2 years ago though to focus on music. I’ve been playing music for over 10 years, it’s all I’ve done my whole life! My part-time job from around the age of 12 was playing in pubs and bars every weekend doing covers. When I was 16, I recorded my first single which is how I gained some momentum in Australia through Triple J Unearthed High and have been recording my own music and touring ever since.”
Gostelow went on to describe her music as “indie-pop-rock,” adding “It’s hard to say because I have songs that were written when I was 15/16 and influenced by folk-pop music, and then my current music is influenced a lot more by the synth-pop world.”
“PSYCHO” follows Gostelow’s latest singles “RUSH” and “Get To It.” “RUSH” and “PSYCHO” are the first glimpses of her sophomore record, which will arrive later this year as a highly-anticipated follow-up to her breakout 2018 debut Thick Skin.
“I feel like ‘RUSH’ is the perfect introduction to the new sound and direction I’m going in,” Gostelow said in March. “It shows off the use of synths and the ’80s vibe that is spread throughout the whole record.”
You can also hear that ‘80s vibe in the driving basslines in “PSYCHO.” Check out the track below.
“PSYCHO” is out May 22.
