“MERRY-GO-ROUND”

Bladee gets depressed. The Swedish sad boy and Yung Lean collaborator’s music captures the feeling of depressive hedonia, a term coined by the theorist Mark Fisher to describe “an inability to do anything else except pursue pleasure.” But his latest mixtape, Exeter, released last week, seeks meaning beyond the temporary satisfaction of dulling the senses.

On “MERRY-GO-ROUND,” a standout from the collection, Bladee examines the boundaries of his blinkered existence. Circular production from regular collaborator Gud, with drum machine claps and glowing synthetic notes crammed into the song’s corners, creates an oddly analog effect, like the gentle turns of a music box, or a merry-go-round. Finding a symbol of stasis in this childhood amusement, Bladee aches for an end to the infinite repetition. His own looped voice seems to mock his predicament, urging him to “go, go.” Though he fantasizes about a place where “time will stand still,” he realizes it’s an illusion: “It’s like love, it’s just like in a fairytale/Not enough, it’s just not true enough.” “MERRY-GO-ROUND” gets behind Bladee’s nihilism, where he hides the lyrical melancholy of a true romantic.