RHODES – Toothpaste (Single)

by Glenn Sargeant | Dec 25, 2023

Hertfordshire-raised, London-based singer/songwriter RHODES first captured everyone’s attention with a series of EPs leading up to the release of his acclaimed 2015 debut album Wishes (via Sony Music).

November 2023 saw the release of ‘Toothpaste’, RHODES‘s fourth single from his forthcoming album (un-finished)’ which will be released on 1st March 2024 via Nettwerk.

Talking about writing the track, RHODES explained “I wrote ‘Toothpaste’ one evening when I was thinking a lot about my younger years and what led me to where I am today. Sometimes when I look back on my early twenties, I see someone so scared and lost. Someone who was always running from something, but towards chaos and self-sabotage. The verses play into some of the experiences I had in my darkest moments and the chorus is a message to anyone who is struggling to overcome their fears that they can find the strength and that they can do it.”

The song opens with a melodic acoustic guitar tone which complements the tenderness of the lyrics as RHODES sings “I’m scared. But I am not afraid”.

As the track builds, light drum brushes appear perfectly in the mix without drowning out the the lead vocal which carries a slight vulnerability.

Overall, ‘Toothpaste’ is an emotionally-charged piece which manages to showcase RHODES many talents without being corny or lecturing the listener. If you enjoy the work of his contempories such as Passenger and David Gray then you might want to investigate further. I also want to credit Rob Unett (Artwork) and Andrew Goff (Animator) for their fantastic work on the powerful lyric video.

RHODES fourth single ‘Toothpaste’ is out now.

You can download/stream it here: https://rhodes.ffm.to/toothpaste

RHODES upcoming album, (un-finished) is due on 1^st March 2024 via Nettwerk.