B-Side Guys

Confidence can be the most convincing illusion. Brooklyn-based independent artist eliza elliott’s March 2025 single “Grounded” excavates this uncomfortable truth through an alt-pop lens that signals a deliberate pivot toward indie-rock territory. The track delivers immediate impact while revealing deeper complexities beneath its polished surface.

From its opening scene—”I climbed out the car/And onto the freeway”—elliott establishes both narrative specificity and emotional volatility. This dramatic imagery creates immediate tension, positioning the listener within a moment of impulsive action that foreshadows the track’s central question of stability. The full band accompaniment, a departure from her previous work, provides perfect counterpoint to this uncertainty, creating sonic foundation that both supports and contrasts with lyrical instability.

What distinguishes “Grounded” from countless other songs about self-doubt is its examination of false certainty rather than obvious insecurity. The repeated refrain “I was convinced that I was grounded” functions not as affirmation but as revelation—the recognition that stability itself was merely perception rather than reality. This discovery creates the track’s emotional fulcrum, tipping from supposed confidence into acknowledged uncertainty.

Most compelling is elliott’s exploration of how others function as mirrors for our own fragmented self-perception. When she recounts a conversation with “Alicia,” who points out logical inconsistencies, the narrator’s defensive response—”that was the old me/Don’t you dare send me a screenshot”—captures the particular anxiety of having our carefully constructed personas challenged by external verification.

This tension between performance and authenticity emerges again in the pointed question “Am I doing all of this just to tell someone about it?” Here, elliott interrogates the meta-narrative of experience as content, questioning whether actions are genuine or merely performed for subsequent retelling—a distinctly contemporary anxiety perfectly suited to her alt-pop sensibilities.

Produced by Blonder, the track’s arrangement complements these thematic elements through deliberate pacing that builds toward emotional revelation rather than explosive catharsis. This approach allows elliott’s “distinct lyricism” to remain central while the instrumentation creates atmospheric complexity that enhances rather than overshadows her vocal delivery.

As reintroduction after a year-and-a-half absence and introduction to her upcoming six-song project, “Grounded” succeeds by questioning the very concept of certainty. The final admission “I never get over anything” transforms specific incident into pattern, suggesting that being “grounded” may ultimately be less important than recognizing when we’re not.