“cool like you” - Varun Sheel

Feature

28 Jul

Some songs don’t just play—they hold up a mirror. Varun Sheel’s “cool like you” is one of those rare indie pop tracks that feels like it’s dancing right on that razor’s edge between joy and vulnerability.

Musically, “cool like you” is light on its feet. The production pops with bright, glassy tones that recall late-night neon reflections—guitars are crisp and rhythmic, 808s hit with a modern, low-end punch, and the drums keep things snappy enough to land this firmly in “danceable” territory.

Sheel has built a reputation for blending sounds that don’t usually share the same space. You hear hints of his background everywhere: those subtly intricate vocal runs nod to his Hindustani classical roots, while the song structure and pop sensibilities clearly come from a Western tradition.

Lyrically, the track leans into that same tension. The title “cool like you” sounds casual, almost playful, but the words carry weight. It’s about the effort—the exhausting, sometimes invisible labor—of putting on a persona just to fit a version of love or acceptance that might not even be real. Lines like these don’t scream their pain; they slip it in under a sugar-coated melody, which somehow makes it hit harder. You can almost imagine someone smiling at a party, trying to keep up appearances, while the inner monologue whispers, “Is this even me anymore?”

What makes the song stick, though, is that it’s not bitter. There’s a melancholy in it, yes, but it’s paired with self-awareness and even a little humour. That’s why it feels relatable across the board. Whether you’ve reshaped yourself to fit into a relationship, a friend group, a workplace, or even a culture, you’ll find pieces of your own story in here.

And yet, despite that emotional weight, Sheel doesn’t let the track collapse into sadness. Instead, he builds it up into something uplifting. The groove never lets you sit still for long, and the chorus doesn’t feel like defeat—it feels like recognition, maybe even liberation. By the time the final notes hit, you get the sense that the act of admitting the mask exists is the first step to taking it off.

In the bigger picture, “cool like you” feels like a turning point for Sheel as an artist. Earlier releases like “more than friends” and “over you” showed his knack for cinematic, cross-cultural pop, but this track pushes that identity further. It’s tighter, more confident, and unafraid to get personal while still delivering a hook that’s effortlessly catchy.

Bottom line: “cool like you” is the kind of indie pop single that makes you want to dance—and then makes you stop and think about why you’re dancing in the first place. It’s polished but honest, fun but meaningful, and proof that Varun Sheel is shaping up to be not just a “rising star,” but a voice worth following closely.

“cool like you” is available now on all major streaming platforms