Carley Bearden

Carley Bearden: “Just Friends”

Dating back to the genre’s salad days of the ’60s, R&B lyricism has covered basically every microcosm of a romantic relationship…but not so much for the platonic pairs. Enter DFW singer Carley Bearden, who, after taking the past half year off for personal growth, has returned with an absolute knockout of a single.

On “Just Friends” Bearden’s blunt but graceful vocals bounce effortlessly off an indie-pop-R&B infusion (produced by her loyal collaborator Wil Brookhart), and packaged at just under two and a half minutes, your affection for “Just Friends” may grow a bit past a level of acquaintance after repeat spins.