You could read 100 self-help books, skim some Eastern philosophy and curate your Instagram feed into a barrage of positive mantras, or you could listen to I Make Me Happy by Don Castor for the same effect. Taken from the Freedom LP, the single wraps all the wisdom you’ll need into a euphoric pop earworm that writhes through R&B, soul and electronica.
Accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek music video, complete with a comedic B-movie-style Conan the Barbarian detour and an intergalactic UFO battle for extra serotonin, I Make Me Happy is guaranteed to colour your soul.
Castor’s experience across film and television, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Fantasy Island, feeds the visual spectacle without distracting from the song’s sincere emotional centre. By the outro, its infectiously warm chorus has hauled listeners away from terminal despondency and planted them somewhere sunnier.
I Make Me Happy extols the virtue of finding validation within yourself, checking out of the comparison game, putting one foot in front of the other and cutting ties that leave you anchored in misery. The bright production keeps everything airborne and reminds you that sometimes, all you need is someone to take the form of a conduit of soul and an icon of progressive house pop simultaneously, and lift you to heights that only sincerity can reach. Keep Castor on your radar for your own sake and sanity.
I Make Me Happy is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Apple Music.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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