Cloak n Dagger

{{Hatnote|For the fighting style involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak, see Cloak and dagger. For other uses, see Cloak and dagger (disambiguation).}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Cloak n Dagger

| cover = cloak n dagger glaive eric.jpeg

| alt = Two boys are sitting on a pool table. In front of them is money, floating in the air.

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Glaive and Ericdoa

| EP = Then I'll Be Happy

| released = {{Start date|2021|01|21}}

| recorded = January 2021

| studio = Airbnb homestay (North Carolina)

| genre = * Rap

| length = 2:09

| label = * Interscope

Listen to the Kids

| writer = * Ash Gutierrez

Eric Lopez
Zac Greer
Jaehyun Kim
John Ong
Ethan Snoreck

| producer = * Glasear

Kimj
Whethan

| misc = {{Extra chronology

| artist = Glaive

| type = single

| prev_title = Eyesore

| prev_year = 2020

| title = Cloak n Dagger

| year = 2021

| next_title = I Wanna Slam My Head Against the Wall

| next_year = 2021

}}

{{Extra chronology

| artist = Ericdoa

| type = single

| prev_title = Movinglikeazombie (remix)

| prev_year = 2020

| title = Cloak n Dagger

| year = 2021

| next_title = Fantasize

| next_year = 2021

}}

{{External music video|{{YouTube|8TyZQuxctJA|"Cloak n Dagger"}}}}

}}

"Cloak n Dagger" is a song by the American musicians Glaive and Ericdoa from their collaborative extended play (EP), Then I'll Be Happy (2021). It was released by Interscope Records and Listen to the Kids on January 21, 2021, as the EP's lead single. It was recorded in one day at an Airbnb homestay in North Carolina during January 2021. It was released alongside a music video created on the same day as the song, which contains cameo appearances from the song's producers, Glasear, Kimj, and Whethan. Glaive and Ericdoa wrote the song alongside the producers.

"Cloak n Dagger" is a fast-paced rap, pop, and emo song driven by retro synth layers, a hazy instrumental, and gated drums. The song was written about removing a harmful person from your life; the hook was written about saying "fuck you" to somebody the duo wants to "rot in hell". "Cloak n Dagger" received positive reviews from critics; some thought it was a standout on Then I'll Be Happy and others highlighted the song's hook.

Background and release

Glaive and Ericdoa are frequent collaborators.{{Cite web |last=Kenneally |first=Cerys |date=November 12, 2021 |title=Ericdoa delivers new track "Strangers" |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/ericdoa-delivers-new-track-strangers |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=The Line of Best Fit}} They are also considered rising stars in the digicore genre;{{Cite web |last=Sundaresan |first=Mano |date=October 12, 2021 |title=glaive / ericdoa: then i'll be happy EP Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/glaive-ericdoa-then-ill-be-happy-ep/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012040609/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/glaive-ericdoa-then-ill-be-happy-ep/ |archive-date=October 12, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=Pitchfork}} The Fader{{'s}} Alex Robert Ross called Glaive "the most promising kid in pop music"{{Cite web |last1=Maicki |first1=Salvatore |last2=Darville |first2=Jordan |last3=Renshaw |first3=David |last4=Ross |first4=Alex Robert |last5=Sajae |first5=Elder |date=June 10, 2021 |title=10 songs you need in your life this week |url=https://www.thefader.com/2021/06/10/best-new-songs-playlist-peggy-gou-darkside-bad-bunny |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611123513/https://www.thefader.com/2021/06/10/best-new-songs-playlist-peggy-gou-darkside-bad-bunny |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=The Fader}} and Sophie Leigh Walker of The Line of Best Fit called Ericdoa a digicore pioneer.{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Sophie Leigh |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Ericdoa is on the rise |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/ericdoa-on-the-rise |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102152305/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/ericdoa-on-the-rise |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=The Line of Best Fit}} They teased collaborations with each other on their social media,{{Cite web |last=Kent |first=Matthew |date=January 21, 2021 |title=Pop trailblazers glaive and ericdoa unite on "cloak n dagger" |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/new-music/discovery/glaive-ericdoa-cloak-n-dagger |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121190208/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/new-music/discovery/glaive-ericdoa-cloak-n-dagger |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=The Line of Best Fit}} and released their collaborative extended play (EP) Then I'll Be Happy on October 6, 2021. "Cloak n Dagger" served as the lead single, and appears as the seventh track on the EP.{{Cite web |last=Kenneally |first=Cerys |date=October 6, 2021 |title=glaive and ericdoa release collaborative EP then i'll be happy |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/glaive-and-ericdoa-release-collaborative-ep-then-ill-be-happy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006134000/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/glaive-and-ericdoa-release-collaborative-ep-then-ill-be-happy |archive-date=October 6, 2021 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=The Line of Best Fit}}{{Cite web |last=Ackroyd |first=Stephen |date=October 6, 2021 |title=glaive and ericdoa have shared their new collaborative EP 'then i'll be happy' |url=https://readdork.com/news/glaive-ericdoa-then-ill-be-happy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006184031/https://readdork.com/news/glaive-ericdoa-then-ill-be-happy/ |archive-date=October 6, 2021 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=Dork}} The song was released by Interscope Records and Listen to the Kids on January 21, 2021, to celebrate Glaive's 16th birthday,{{Cite web |last=Curto |first=Justin |date=January 22, 2021 |title=Hyperpop Prince glaive Celebrates His Sweet 16 With a Delectable FU Alongside ericdoa |url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/01/song-review-glaive-ericdoa-cloak-dagger.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122214237/https://www.vulture.com/2021/01/song-review-glaive-ericdoa-cloak-dagger.html |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=Vulture}} which was the day prior to the song's release.

On the day of its release, Glaive and Ericdoa were added to the cover of Spotify's "Hyperpop" playlist. "Cloak n Dagger" was recorded at an Airbnb homestay in North Carolina in one day during January 2021. Fans dubbed the Airbnb as the "Hyperpop Hype House". Glaive and Ericdoa also recorded a music video on the same day the song was made. The music video was shot on film and contains cameo appearances from the song's producers, Glasear, Kimj, and Whethan.{{Cite web |last=Kupfer |first=Rachel |date=January 22, 2021 |title=Listen to the Whethan-Produced "cloak n dagger" by glaive and ericdoa |url=https://edm.com/music-releases/whethan-glaive-ericdoa-cloak-n-dagger |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123191744/https://edm.com/music-releases/whethan-glaive-ericdoa-cloak-n-dagger |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=EDM.com}}

Composition

"Cloak n Dagger" is two minutes and nine seconds long.{{Cite web |date=January 21, 2021 |title=cloak n dagger - Single - Album by glaive & ericdoa |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/cloak-n-dagger-single/1549017999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228234017/https://music.apple.com/us/album/cloak-n-dagger-single/1549017999 |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |publisher=Apple Music}} Both Glaive and Ericdoa wrote the song, alongside the producers Glasear, Kimj, and Whethan. Critics have described "Cloak n Dagger" as a rap,{{Cite web |last=Pierre |first=Alphonse |date=January 26, 2021 |title=The Ones: Glaive and ericdoa's "Cloak n Dagger" |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/glaive-and-ericdoa-cloack-n-dagger-new-song-listen/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126203802/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/glaive-and-ericdoa-cloack-n-dagger-new-song-listen/ |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Pitchfork}} pop, and emo track. The Line of Best Fit{{'s}} Matthew Kent described it as a "fast-paced" pop song. The song is driven by "retro-inspired synth layering", a "woozy" instrumental, and gated drums. The song was written about removing a harmful person from your life; Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork called it a "two-sided lovesick anthem". The hook was written about saying "fuck you" to somebody the duo wants to "rot in hell". It is sung "in a fit of rage", and Glaive's voice cracks during one of its lines. Pitchfork's Mano Sundaresan described it as "one of the most spiteful hooks [Glaive has] ever written". He also highlighted the track's "off-the-cuff arrangements", called the songwriting confessional, and commented that the lyrics "could be read as rap or emo". Glaive's contribution was described as "a regretful emoji-filled social media rant" by Pierre, while Ericdoa's verse is more empathetic. The Face's Jade Wickes called it a "tune infused with screaming teenage angst".{{Cite web |last=Wickes |first=Jade |date=August 13, 2021 |title=An interview with ericdoa, hyperpop's subversive leading… |url=https://theface.com/music/interview-ericdoa-hyperpop-glaive-new-single-back-n-forth-coa-fantasize |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928140951/https://theface.com/music/interview-ericdoa-hyperpop-glaive-new-single-back-n-forth-coa-fantasize |archive-date=September 28, 2021 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=The Face}}

Critical reception

"Cloak n Dagger" received positive reviews. It was listed as Pitchfork's "must-hear rap song of the day", with Pierre writing that it "could fit on a playlist right after Future's 'Throw Away{{'"}}. Justin Curto from Vulture thought that "the chorus is the reason to come back", and that "Hearing [Glaive] and [Ericdoa] savor every curse and insult will just make you want to shout along with them". He also described it as "an unrelenting fuck-you smash". In a review of Then I'll Be Happy, Sundaresan thought the song was a standout from the EP. Writing about "Cloak n Dagger" and the EP's second single "Fuck This Town", he called the songs "thoughtful genre explorations that subvert norms instead of succumbing to them". Kent wrote that the duo "both trade in huge hooks" and the track "has one ready for crowd to scream back to them". He also called it a "standout pop track".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.{{Cite web |date=January 21, 2021 |title=cloak n dagger / glaive |url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/169498762/track/169498763 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212003014/https://listen.tidal.com/album/169498762/track/169498763 |archive-date=December 12, 2024 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=Tidal}}

Glaive – vocals, songwriting, recording
Ericdoa – vocals, songwriting, recording
Prash "Engine-Earz" Mistry – mixing, mastering
Whethan – songwriting, production, mixing, recording
Glasear – songwriting, production, mixing, recording
Kimj – songwriting, production, mixing, recording
Zac Greer – songwriting

References

Category:2021 singles

Category:Glaive (musician) songs

Category:Interscope Records singles