Calvyn Cass makes it clear that three is his magic number in the new single Ménage À Trois — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The annals of pop and R&B aren’t exactly lacking in heavy-breathing come-ons. But never let it be said that Vancouver soul-barer Cass does things the old-fashioned way. His new single is a literal banger of the sort that have been making folks do the deed since time immemorial. It’s just that this time, there happen to be three people in the equation:
“So what are you cravin’?
We got a room waitin’
Let’s take a bae-cation
So tell me what it’s gonna be
You plus us adds up to three
Let’s make this a Ménage À Trois
And once you join our fantasy
You won’t ever wanna leave.”
The track is as bold as his lyrics, stomping up a storm and stopping only for some wicked bass slurs that repeatedly bring down the house. Chalk it all up as mission accomplished for Cass, who says his agenda is to combine the lyrical fixations of ’90s pop with instrumental arrangements that bridge the gap between the early 2000s and today. Only there are no “blurred lines” here: This one’s all about consent.
The track is the product of a fevered writing session between Cass, superstar producer Adam H. (Ray J, Ne-Yo, Def Leppard), Don Wolf (a collaborator with acts like Bon Jovi, Poison and Mötley Crüe) and one Jess Edo, whom Cass counts as both his most frequent writing partner and a close friend. And to hear him tell it, things… er, flowed naturally between all of them. “I came into the session wanting something fun and sexy and presented that to the group,” Cass says. “I’m in a throuple, so I suggested we make a fun song about that. Everyone loved the idea, so we ran with it.”
You couldn’t ask for a more forceful lead-in to Cass’ forthcoming album, Every Kind Chapter One: Reigning Stars. A loose concept record about the blissful honeymoon period of a relationship, the album has cuts produced by both Adam H. and Dave Genn (54•40, Matthew Good Band). Its contents were previewed last fall with Hollywood Calls, a sultry Left Coast curb crawl. With that kind of one-two punch preceding it, the album is sure to connect.
But really, Cass has been on a roll since his first single Mr, Myself And I in 2020. In the ensuing four years, he’s racked up more than 1.5 million streams and views, been a fixture on the German charts, and reached a whopping 15 million viewers as a guest performer on an app.
Best of all, he’s doing it his way. A self-professed disciple of Elton John and David Bowie, Cass is proudly gender-fluid and avoids using pronouns in his music, to keep the emotions it imparts universal. Oh, and about the Chapter One in that album title: Yes, there’s going to be a Chapter Two. It’s going to explore the more difficult stage of a relationship, when the bloom is off the rose and you have to make some hard decisions to keep going. And after that? “Part 3 comes much later,” Cass says. “I don’t feel anywhere near ready to talk about someone’s end-of-life experience with love just yet. My heart tells me I should wait it out and do a bit more living first.”
Watch the video for Ménage À Trois above, sample more from Calvyn Cass below, and join him on his website, Instagram and Twitter.
