There’s something about night drives that perfectly capture emotional turbulence – the empty streets, the neon reflections, the silence that forces introspection. On her latest single, “Slidin’ Thru The City,” Stockton’s CALYN transforms this familiar setting into a powerful exploration of toxic love cycles with an atmospheric track that announces her as an artist worth your immediate attention.
The track’s strength lies in its gestation. Originally conceived way back in 2022 with her sister DYLI, “Slidin’ Thru The City” was left in limbo for nearly three years before CALYN reworked it, enlisted the producer Ruwanga, and turned it into a track that she now considers one of her strongest yet.
“It’s maybe my favorite song I’ve ever made,” CALYN has said about the release, and that personal connection is sensed throughout. The production creates a surrounding soundscape that pulls you directly into her nighttime emotional process, and the songwriting demonstrates great maturity in the way it addresses relationships where attraction and destruction are in close, uneasy proximity.
The hooks here sneak under the skin with subtle insistence. There’s something refreshing in the confidence she shows—in the restraint of knowing when to give the production room and when to assert her vocal dominance. This is the first track from her upcoming debut EP, Better Left Unsaid, and if this song is any measure of the quality of the set, we’re witnessing the emergence of a significant new talent in alternative R&B.
If you like SZA, Snoh Aalegra, or Jhené Aiko and you’re looking for a new voice in the alternative R&B sphere, CALYN needs immediate playlist consideration. “Slidin’ Thru The City” is a fully formed artistic statement from a voice we’re gonna be hearing a lot more from in the months to come.