Serotonin Dreams

In 2021, the mysterious BoyWithUke became an online sensation for his intensely emotional yet spare take on emo-pop. Wearing an LED mask and brandishing a ukulele, he performed potent, minute-long, self-penned songs from his own perspective and by request—and listeners responded, flooding him with follows and adulation while being respectful enough to not unmask his true identity. His major-label debut doesn’t mess with the formula that made him famous: Serotonin Dreams assembles slightly longer yet still sharply written cuts that focus on relatable topics like frustration with friends (“Toxic”) and post-rejection anxiety (“She Said No”). Fellow online-music sensations drop by to add new voices (the simmering mxmtoon duet “Prairies”) and nu-metal beats (the hit blackbear collab “IDGAF”), but BoyWithUke’s unfiltered emotion is the engine that makes those team-ups hum.