Endearments Peel Back The Illusion On "Real Deal" As "An Always Open Door" Comes Into View
- Charles Luberisse
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Written By: Big C
Some doors stay open out of habit, not hope. The first revealing chapter from their newly announced debut album An Always Open Door, Brooklyn-based indie rock trio Endearments step into a more vulnerable frame with Real Deal. As the track unfolds, Endearments balance restraint and release with precision. The single drifts in on moody synths and shimmering guitars before tightening into a restless pulse. Kevin Marksson’s vocals hover in a fragile register, almost weightless at first, before the song surges forward on Anjali Nair’s gleaming guitar lines and Will Haywood Smith’s insistent, grounding drums. The dawning realization of being cast as a supporting role in someone else’s romantic fantasy, captures the quiet erosion of a relationship which once felt mutual but slowly tilts off balance. Marksson frames that idea as:
'Real Deal' is a song about feeling like you're just a supporting player in someone else's romantic idealization. I hint at Apollo and Daphne in the lyrics and the idea that someone can be so focused on what love 'should' feel like that they forget there is a real person on the other end. The music video plays with that concept in a fun way by having our heroine wake up in a strange apartment after what seemed like a perfect evening, but maybe wasn't as perfect as she thought.
The accompanying video, directed by Paul Desilva, extends that discomfort visually. It’s playful on the surface, tracing a hazy night and the sobering morning after, but quietly unsettling beneath where intimacy gives way to self-awareness. “Real Deal” sets a deliberate tone for "An Always Open Door," due March 6. The nine-track album is shaped alongside producer Abe Seiferth and rooted in emotionally saturated indie rock. Step inside the doorway they’re holding open and connect with Endearments on Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. Stream the single here and watch the official video below.