B-Side Guys

Questions can be weapons. They can be shields. Sometimes, they’re merely transactions. In the hands of San Francisco’s Grooblen, simple social niceties become the foundation for a piercing examination of relational imbalance. Their latest single “How Are You?” dissects those hollow three-word exchanges that mask deeper requests—a musical case study in emotional exploitation disguised as a shimmering psychedelic rock odyssey.

Ellie Stokes’ vocals drift with deceptive gentleness over arrangements that fluctuate between jazz-inflected mellowness and more turbulent psychedelic passages. This musical duality perfectly mirrors the song’s central tension: the contrast between genuine concern and transactional connection. When Stokes sings “I ask ‘How are you?’ because I want to know/I don’t think you owe me anything at all,” the sincerity feels almost radical—a pure social exchange without hidden agendas. The subsequent lines reveal how this earnestness makes one vulnerable: “But if I say that, I run the risk of being strange/I guess I have abilities to make things strange.”

The track’s production—recorded live without overdubs—creates an immediate, present-tense quality that amplifies its emotional authenticity. William Stokes’ drumming provides both rhythmic anchor and emotional punctuation, shifting seamlessly between jazzy restraint and more forceful propulsion as the narrative intensifies. This organic, unvarnished approach works as both aesthetic choice and thematic reinforcement—just as the song questions performative interactions, the recording rejects performative production.

What elevates “How Are You?” beyond mere complaint is its self-awareness. When Stokes admits “They want something that I don’t have but I give it anyway/Yeah I give it anyway,” there’s recognition of complicity in these unbalanced exchanges. The repetition of this final phrase turns introspective revelation into stubborn self-criticism, suggesting that breaking these patterns requires more than just identifying them.

As the second single from Grooblen’s forthcoming Friendo EP, “How Are You?” continues their exploration of friendship’s complex emotional landscape. The band has created something curiously universal from highly specific experiences—an anthem for anyone who’s ever felt reduced to their utility in another person’s narrative.

In an age where interaction often feels increasingly transactional, Grooblen’s musical examination of one-sided relationships feels both timely and timeless. Their willingness to probe social discomfort with such melodic grace creates a listening experience that’s simultaneously unsettling and consoling—like finally hearing someone articulate a feeling you’ve had but couldn’t name.