There is something inherently funny about an ex appearing in your DMs years after a toxic breakup, especially when an apology starts drifting into the familiar territory of manipulation. Anthony Lucas turns that awkward, emotionally loaded encounter into the bright, hook-heavy “SLIDING IN MY DMS,” released August 27.
Written in Los Angeles just weeks after the real-life incident in 2024 and produced in Australia with SB90, the track has the immediacy of a song written before the emotions had time to settle. That works in its favor. Rather than treating heartbreak as solemn confession, Lucas reframes the experience as a reclamation of power, giving the song a buoyant surface that makes its subject matter feel less like emotional baggage and more like a story worth laughing at after the fact.
The production is clean and deliberately accessible, built around an upbeat pulse and a chorus designed to stick. Lucas’ tenor gives the track enough lift to match its pop instincts, while the straightforward arrangement keeps the central premise easy to follow. The contrast is important: beneath the polished, vibe-ready exterior is a story about love-bombing, gaslighting and the temptation to mistake renewed attention for genuine affection.
That tension is also where the song could push further. Its message is clear, but the emotional contradictions at the heart of the story are arguably more interesting than the empowerment narrative alone. There is something revealing in admitting that Anthony enjoyed the attention while simultaneously wanting to regain control. Leaning harder into that discomfort could have given the songwriting even more bite.
Still, “SLIDING IN MY DMS” understands what pop can do with messy emotional material. It doesn’t pretend relationships are simple or that closure always arrives neatly. Instead, Lucas turns an uncomfortable encounter into something communal, catchy and self-aware.
For an artist whose work moves between Melbourne and Los Angeles, the track feels like a confident meeting point between personal storytelling and polished contemporary pop. Its real achievement is simple: taking a situation that once threatened to reopen an old wound and turning it into a chorus on his own terms.
Featured Image: Artist Supplied
