B-Side Guys

In the aftermath of the Club Q shooting in Colorado, Oakland-based duo Pillowprince crafted not just a song but a necessary confrontation. Released in late March 2025, “Care About” operates with devastating precision—transforming collective trauma into a musical challenge that refuses passive consumption.

Songwriter-guitarist Olivia Lee and drummer Sea Snyder construct a sonic architecture that mirrors grief’s nonlinear progression. The track’s deliberate pacing—classified accurately as slowcore—creates uncomfortable space for reflection before the chorus arrives at 1:32, marking an emotional pivot point where private mourning transforms into public demand. This structural choice underscores the song’s thematic journey from processing pain to demanding response.

Lee’s vocals navigate complex emotional terrain with remarkable control. When delivering lines about finding “some little thing to love” amid acknowledgment that “everything is fucked,” she creates productive tension between survival tactics and honest assessment. This duality—maintaining both clear-eyed recognition of horror and stubborn attachment to joy—positions the track as distinctly queer in its emotional approach.

The chorus centers on a single question repeated with increasing intensity: “When are you gonna care about everyone that should be here now?” This direct address collapses distance between listener and subject, refusing the separation that enables societal indifference. By asking “how many faces and names ago,” Lee frames violence against queer communities not as isolated incidents but as continuous pattern requiring intervention.

Musically, the partnership between Lee and Snyder demonstrates how two musicians can create immersive sonic density without excess. The dreampop elements provide illusory comfort that’s strategically undermined by dissonant undertones, creating an environment where beauty and danger coexist—much like the nightclub setting described in the lyrics, where painted faces shine beneath implicit threat.

As the lead single from their debut EP pretty, baby! on Dune Altar, “Care About” establishes Pillowprince as artists refusing the false choice between political urgency and emotional authenticity. Their approach evokes the raw vulnerability of Sharon Van Etten and Mitski while carving distinct territory through explicitly queer perspective. The track culminates in repeated questioning that transitions from melody to mantra—transforming musical experience into potential awakening.