Though British crooner Sam Smith has not officially announced a follow-up effort to 2017s The Thrill of It All, he has no problem sharing one-off singles in the meantime. On the heels of sleeper hit "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani, the artist pushes forward with a new pop ballad.
"How Do You Sleep?" still finds Smith wallowing in heartache, but doing his best to pick up the pieces and move on. After a few sleepless nights, the artist promises to shed no more tears, instead turning the tables on a presumed cheating lover. After finding damning evidence on his partner's mobile phone, Smith becomes resentful and vindictive, hoping the shame will now keep them up at night.
Written and produced by hitmakers Max Martin, Savan Kotecha (Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande) and ILYA (Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce), while supported by a 90s-leaning, hypnotic beat, the mid-tempo effort puts an extension on Smith's assumed creative limits. "How Do You Sleep?" is drowned in heavy subject matter of unrequited love and emotion, though smartly chooses to lift spirits with dance-worthy production.
Once Smith is done hating himself, beating himself up for the relationship's end, he soon realizes the cheating lover was turning him into a paranoid, fearful person he did not recognize. He's better off without them. "Oh no, how did I manage to lose me, I am not this desperate, not this crazy, there's no way I'm sticking around to find out, I won't lose like that, I won't lose myself," he sings on the second verse.
Smith's new release opens to a sparse pace, similar to his early trademark ballads, but then picks up the pop energy to fall more in line with its more recent predecessor. The music video for "How Do You Sleep?" properly conveys that change in style. Set in an empty warehouse, the visual finds Smith in his best choreographed routine. Surrounded by a slew of gorgeous, shirtless backup dancers, the squad vogues in synchronized fashion, embodying the freedom emphasized in the lyrical content.
In the end, a message of not blaming yourself for another's shortcomings is evident and celebrated. Self-recovery and acceptance are exuding from the radio-ready "How Do You Sleep?", a refreshing departure from the usual tone of Smith's overly somber offerings.
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