ODESZA have pulled out another stunning surprise in ‘Better Now’ ft. MARO

March 2, 2022

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Featured photo: Tonje Thilesen.

Another drop in the bucket for ODESZA and the Seattle-based duo’s latest single makes quite a brawny splash. So get out the towels because Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight’s newest drip proves they’re making up for lost time. They’ve been mounting their comeback recently with the release of “The Last Goodbye,” much to the surprise of their adoring international fanbase. Now ODESZA has launched another surprise with “Better Now,” featuring Portuguese singer-songwriter MARO.

According to a press statement from ODESZA, the Grammy-nominated artists sought out many singers to lay down vocals on the track. It must’ve been a truly painstaking selection process considering how fans will likely be seeing the vocalist performing live on stage with the two and their band. After much trial and error, Mills and Knight ultimately landed on MARO, who they admitted to being big fans of prior to enlisting the young singer on the single. ODESZA elaborated further on the process:

“It’s funny because we tried so many different collaborations with vocalists in varying genres to try to find the right fit for this song when we first made it, but for whatever reason nothing felt right. We’ve been big fans of MARO and when we sent her a short handful of demos, this was the one she resonated with, and we knew she was going to do something really special with it. Truthfully, you would have to ask MARO the meaning of this tune, but to us ‘Better Now’ is about the realization that putting yourself out there is always worth it in the end.”
– ODESZA

Touching on themes of hope and resilience, “Better Now” is signature uplifting ODESZA with plenty of new and refreshing sonic elements. The track leads in with Samoan-adjacent tribal chants, giving way to nuanced instrumentation, soaring textures, catchy drum patterns, and even some 80s-inspired synths thrown carefully on top. With each complex new layer, “Better Now” builds gorgeously with MARO’s inspiring lyrics and ethereal tone.

Hard to believe four years have gone by since the duo’s last official release in “Loyal,” but remember that ODESZA toured the acclaimed third album for two of those years while using the 2020-2021 pandemic climate to debut their darker sounds with BRONSON. With an all-but-confirmed new album on the way, it’s safe to say that ODESZA has returned.

Stream ODESZA’s “Better Now” and watch the official visualizer now.