“One Shot” is a joyful, theatrical pop anthem about reclaiming your place, your identity, and the freedom to show up exactly as you are.
Bliss Carmxn’s latest single “One Shot” is a bold and uplifting piece of indie-pop that turns personal history into something celebratory. Released ahead of the upcoming EP Open Love, the song carries a sense of movement from the very beginning. Its pounding piano, bright production, layered harmonies, and infectious chorus give it an energy that feels made for singing along to.
At the heart of the song is the idea of being let back in — or realizing that you don’t need anyone else’s permission to walk through the door. The opening image of the “purple disco queen” forgetting the words is playful, but it develops into something more meaningful as the song progresses. By the middle eight, she has found her voice again. That shift from uncertainty to confidence gives “One Shot” its emotional punch. Bliss Carmxn brings together several worlds. There is the theatrical grandeur of Queen, the melodic storytelling associated with Paul Simon, and the communal, singalong quality of indie-pop. Beneath the polished pop surface, there is also a strong connection to the folk and country music of Western Canada, particularly through the song’s visual concept.
That visual story adds another layer to the release. Shot in rural British Columbia using Bliss Carmxn’s 96-year-old grandfather’s Ford F-150, the imagery takes familiar symbols of rural Western masculinity — cowboys, trucks, open fields — and places them inside a queer and tender artistic world. Rather than rejecting that inheritance, the song reclaims it and gives it new meaning. The production by ROOKES keeps the piano-led heart of the track intact while adding synths and country-rock textures that push it toward something bigger and more communal. Bliss Carmxn’s vocals and harmonies help make the chorus especially memorable, giving the song the feeling of an anthem without losing its personal character. What makes “One Shot” stand out is its refusal to treat joy as something superficial. This is a song about choosing yourself, returning to the room, putting on the rhinestone jeans, and making your own moment. It is vibrant, confident, slightly theatrical, and deeply personal at the same time. As the latest preview of Open Love, “One Shot” feels like Bliss Carmxn stepping fully into the light — not waiting to be invited, but deciding that this time, the moment belongs to them.
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