I’ve had this EP on loop for a few days now, and it’s the kind of thing that finds its way into your mood without asking. I Don’t Know If You Can Love Me from Vanden Dool doesn’t try to impress with big moments or shiny production. It just kind of opens a door and invites you into a very specific emotional space. The songs sit somewhere between isolation and movement, like being in a club with too much on your mind or staring at the ceiling in a dark room with synths humming softly around you.
The first track, “I’m Not in Love with You”, stood out right away. It’s fuller and more band-driven than the others, and you can really tell it came together with more people involved. There’s a pulse in it that feels like you’re walking fast in the cold, headphones in, trying not to text someone you probably shouldn’t be thinking about. It’s got a push that makes the emotional stuff hit harder without turning it into a wall of sound.
Then the rest of the EP pulls you into a quieter place. The vocals feel close, like they were recorded in the same room you’re in, and that adds this strange kind of comfort to all the sadness. It’s not dramatic heartbreak either. It’s the quieter version—where you’ve already accepted it, but it still stings every time it crosses your mind. It’s definitely music you could play while walking home late or riding a train somewhere, watching people outside and pretending you’ve got your life figured out when you absolutely don’t.
I think what makes this EP work is that it never tries too hard. The songs feel honest in a way that doesn’t ask you to feel bad for the guy singing them. They just put the feeling out there, and let you connect to it however you need to.
Honestly, if you’ve ever stayed up too late overthinking, or kept listening to a song because it understood you better than anyone else that day, this EP is going to land pretty hard. Go follow Vanden Dool on social media and Spotify. You’re going to want to know when the next one comes out.
