Hanh Truong on March 1st, 2021

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If a song could bottle the feeling of awkward young love where both partners clearly want one another but don’t know where they stand in the other person’s life, it would be Dre’es’ new single, “Ritah Baby.”

Andres De La Peña, under the persona of Dre’es, dipped his toes in songwriting back when he was in high school and later made big splashes with his 2017 breakout hit, “Warm,” featuring Mia. A native of Wilmington, he has since released a trail of singles and his 2019 full-length, “Swamp 00,” reflecting his influences: Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, the Creator.

“Ritah Baby” follows his blasé and mellow hip-hop tracks, “Helicopter 2018” and “Mangos 2016.” Dre’es balances his steady vocals on a pop-leaning tune dressed lightly with blithe guitar notes, as he laments about a confusing relationship. The accompanying visuals, directed by CSPR, feature Dre’es quite literally submerged in befuddled feelings of love and doubt.

“Listening back to the song gives a little more insight into how I was feeling towards the end of a relationship,” the artist says. “A lot of times, you lie to yourself because you don’t want to be so blunt to your partner and even yourself.”

The single is a preview of his new project coming late spring.

||| Stream: “Ritah Baby”

||| Also: Stream “Helicopter 2018”