B-Side Guys

Musical evolution often involves strategic disruption. Canadian singer-songwriter Olivia Lunny embraces this principle with “HEAVEN,” her February 2025 release that deliberately departs from previous work to create what she accurately describes as “its own world.” The track marries lo-fi rock elements with alt-pop sensibilities, resulting in a sonic landscape both immediately accessible and subtly experimental.

Having built considerable momentum since beginning her songwriting journey at age 12—amassing over 72 million cross-platform streams and earning a Western Canadian Music Award nomination—Lunny now leverages her established audience to take creative risks. “HEAVEN” exemplifies this approach, maintaining her signature emotional directness while expanding her sonic vocabulary through textural experimentation and structural unpredictability.

What distinguishes this track from conventional love songs is its focus on “pure infatuation” rather than reciprocal connection. This thematic distinction allows Lunny to explore desire’s disorienting intensity without romanticism’s usual constraints. The production complements this perspective through deliberate tension between polish and distortion—crisp vocals occasionally dissolve into atmospheric reverb, creating sonic representation of obsession’s fluctuating clarity.

Particularly effective is how the arrangement balances pop architecture with rock spontaneity. Hooks remain central to the composition, but their presentation incorporates unexpected pauses, dynamic shifts, and textural evolutions that prevent predictability. This approach creates emotional landscape where infatuation’s overwhelming nature receives proper sonic representation, making the listening experience simultaneously immersive and destabilizing.

Most surprising is how lo-fi elements—typically associated with intimacy and understatement—instead amplify emotional intensity here. Rather than merely signifying bedroom production aesthetics, the distorted edges and compressed dynamics suggest emotional overflow—feelings too powerful for pristine transmission. This production choice transforms technical limitation into artistic statement, making “imperfections” essential rather than incidental.

For an artist whose commercial breakthrough came with the 2019 Top 40 hit “I Got You,” this willingness to pursue artistic evolution while maintaining accessibility speaks to Lunny’s growing artistic confidence. Having received coverage in publications ranging from Rolling Stone to Billboard to NYLON, she now uses this platform not just to consolidate success but to challenge both herself and her audience.

“HEAVEN” ultimately succeeds by transforming familiar emotion through unfamiliar presentation. The Winnipeg native’s “heartfelt lyrics and pop star sensibilities” remain intact, but their delivery through this expanded sonic palette creates renewed impact, suggesting that even our most universal feelings can be experienced—and expressed—in ways we haven’t yet imagined.