With that score, we might stick around, actually…
[Video]
[6.00]
Will Adams: Daya’s recent turn to frowny-emoji dancepop has yielded some good results so far, but I prefer “Insomnia” to “Left Me Yet.” Swapping the former’s lush Euro-pop arrangement for something more skeletal is fine, but Daya’s plunge into self-abnegation here is so severe it’s uncomfortable to listen to. Relatable, sure — the nagging thoughts of “why do you even like me?” while lying next to someone on loop; the conjuring of countless examples of how I push people away without any concrete evidence to back it up — but worrisome for how much the text might be obscured by the pumping tempo.
[6]
Ian Mathers: Self awareness is an important step, sure, but rather than just keep mistreating someone and relying on them continuing to be some kind of idealized saint and/or just waiting for them to get fed up, maybe, I don’t know… get some therapy? (Wait, I forgot, most of us can’t afford normal expenses, let alone that. Carry on, then.)
[7]
Alfred Soto: The galloping percussion needs a singer who can ride it better than Daya did; there’s a sense in which everyone involved held their breath.
[5]
Katie Gill: Whenever we get a female singer who makes it big as the vocals off an EDM track (Daya, Anne-Marie, Foxes, arguably Halsey, etc.), I always hope that they’ll manage to push past being essentially a session vocalist to develop a musical identity of their own. Unfortunately, Daya’s musical identity seems to be “a slightly cheaper Dua Lipa.”
[4]
Iain Mew: Blissful thump a la “One Kiss” as the backdrop for the most emotionally painful lyric in a while is not an obvious combo. It lets Daya sing about intense swings without feeling like we’re taken along on them with her, though, which is probably for the best. This kind of self-negating logic trap of a thought process is almost unbearably sad as it is.
[7]
Nortey Dowuona: The soft serve synths that immediately get pushed up and into the glass by the burning, bulging bass and thudding drums are trapping Daya inside, who is hoping to suffocate so she doesn’t have to… well, break up with that other guy from the Chainsmokers, I guess. (He hasn’t sung yet. )
[6]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: I want so much for this song to get off the ground and soar but Daya’s muted vocalizing keeps things firmly mellow. None of the lyrics feel sincere, and the propulsive beat feels wasted.
[4]
Kayla Beardslee: On paper, this song’s concept would make me skeptical. I’m not personally invested in Daya as an artist, and tracks with lyrics like “I’m surprised you haven’t left me yet” often turn out to be both viciously self-deprecating and musically uninteresting — but, among the sea of songs about romantic insecurities, “Left Me Yet” stands out simply because it’s a genuine pleasure to listen to. This is the slickest chorus I’ve ever heard from Daya, and the more I listen to it, the more I appreciate how smoothly its melody flows over the bouncy production. By the last chorus, her lightly filtered voice sounds almost trapped beneath the layers of synths, an appropriately claustrophobic feeling that pulls me into another listen instead of pushing me away.
[7]
Kylo Nocom: Daya’s initial dip into mature pop had a worrying tedium, but “Left Me Yet” takes after the Michaels/Tranter model towards more streamlined and ultimately stronger results. There’s a certain understanding here of the tension-release dynamics that can make warbled, hushed choruses sound uniquely salient, and the grippingly self-conscious songwriting that Michaels indulges in constantly throughout Nervous System seems to creep into Daya’s lyrics. Julia had the sense to not indulge in Express-store-music, but the emptiness of the production here gels well with the hopelessness that pervades the entirety of the track.
[7]
Iris Xie: All the elements of this type of good, sticky pop-house song: a rich, slightly unaffected vocal, soft but lilted synths that bounce like weighted bubbles against your eardrums, and small glittery ripples and waves that move in rhythm and bounce back along the beat.
[7]
Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: It’s slight — the bridge being a retread of the chorus is a tell that there wasn’t all that much thought put into the songwriting here — but oddly compelling. The house-leaning production and Daya’s still-anonymous vocal don’t quite sell the love and appreciation of the premise, but “Left Me Yet” still works surprisingly well as a throwaway dance track.
[6]