LOS ANGELES, CA- When Toronto multi-instrumentalist Liam Colbert (better known as Rise Carmine)released “Hooked,” it wasn’t just another single ahead of his forthcoming EP Come in Closer. It felt like a statement of intent. Colbert, freshly signed to Paper Bag Records, is leaning deep into a brand of psych-rock that isn’t afraid to stretch, fracture, and rebuild itself in the space of a few minutes. “Hooked” doesn’t simply play with groove and melody; it thrives on tension, dragging the listener through various acts of obsession and compulsion, then leaving them stranded in the fallout.
The track’s genius lies in its pacing. Instead of storming forward from the jump, “Hooked” opens in restraint: a low, distorted synth drone lays the groundwork while a falsetto vocal hovers delicately above. It’s fragile, but there’s a pulse flickering in the background. This isn’t ambience for ambience’s sake. It’s the pull before the plunge. Colbert teases out the suspense, letting melody and atmosphere ripple against each other, as if daring you to anticipate the collapse.
When the crash finally comes, it’s seismic. Just about a minute in, Colbert drops the falsetto and unleashes his full voice. The drums come hammering down with a smacking, percussive weight, joined by synth stabs that feel less like flourishes and more like violent jolts of electricity. Suddenly, the tension that had been carefully coiled up in the intro snaps loose. The song transforms into something physical, propulsive, and impossible to ignore.
From there, “Hooked” becomes a study in escalation. Each layer…the fuzzed-out guitar riffs, the deep-hitting drum thuds, the spiraling vocals… drives the song toward its breaking point. Colbert’s delivery grows more unhinged as he repeats the refrain: “I’m still hooked on a feeling that could’ve killed you.” What began in falsetto resignation erupts into full-throated cries of desperation and defiance. It’s not sung so much as torn out, the kind of yelp feels like catharsis.
That intensity is mirrored in the song’s imagery. In the video, Colbert is seen burying himself alive in a shallow grave, dirt piling up as he laughs. The visuals are chilling in their contradiction: surrender and mockery, life slipping away while he grins at the futility of it all. It’s the perfect complement to the track’s subject matter: addiction, destructive attachments, the things we cling to even when they’re killing us.
But what makes “Hooked” resonate isn’t just the lyrical theme. It’s the way the music embodies the psychology of compulsion. Addiction creeps in, growing stronger until it takes over. Colbert translates that into sound. The song builds and builds, tension climbing with each measure until it reaches a fever pitch, only to collapse back into its fragile beginnings. The abrupt return to falsetto and distorted synth on the final line—“hooked on a feeling that could’ve killed you”. It feels like a cycle closing in on itself, doomed to repeat.
As Come in Closer approaches its November release, “Hooked” sets a powerful precedent. It shows an artist who understands the weight of buildup, the allure of repetition, and the impact of a well-timed drop. It also signals Colbert’s refusal to be boxed into a single genre. His sound might nod to the touchstones of psych and alt-rock, but the delivery is more restless, more cinematic, more intent on pulling emotion to the surface than paying homage.
Rise Carmine doesn’t just make songs you hear. He makes songs that grip you, twist you, and leave you unsettled long after the final note cuts out. “Hooked” is proof. It doesn’t just smack… t claws its way under your skin and dares you to hit repeat, knowing full well you’ll never escape its pull.
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