Alaina May Is Just “Casual”
Today, rising Brooklyn-based indie artist Alaina May reveals her new single “Casual.” After years spent quietly writing and shaping a deeply personal catalog of songs, “Casual” arrives as the first glimpse into a new chapter for Alaina May. Produced by indie-rock duo TOLEDO, the track pairs melodic, atmospheric production with May’s soft, disarming vocal delivery.
“‘Casual’ lives in that space where you mistake limerence for real connection,” May shares. “After something ends, even the smallest moments of closeness feel heightened and intoxicating because they’re fill a vulnerable void. You can be completely self-aware—naming the pattern, recognizing the push and pull—and still not be able to stop yourself from getting pulled in. It’s that tension between wanting something light and realizing that, at my core, I’m just not wired for ‘casual.’”
Originally from a small, conservative suburb outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May was raised in the Christian church and she spent much of her early life conforming to a version of herself shaped by those surroundings. It wasn’t until she left for college in Boston that she began to shed those expectations, stepping into her identity as a queer woman and embracing a more authentic sense of self. That push and pull between expectation and self-discovery continues to shape her music.
That evolution sits at the core of her songwriting. A deeply sensitive and introspective writer, May leans into emotional intensity, embracing what it means to feel deeply in both her inner world and her relationships with others. Her songs trace the quiet, often unspoken shifts of identity, alongside the complexities of human connection and the lasting imprint of loving, losing, and and finding her footing within it all.
Since moving to New York in late 2025, Alaina May has been refining both her sound and artistic direction, working closely with indie rock duo TOLEDO. What began as a serendipitous direct message has since grown into ongoing collaborative sessions. “Their creative process has made it so easy to find the natural feel and groove of my songs,” she shares. “Casual” is just the first glimpse of what’s ahead.