Anyone who’s followed Popfad has likely heard the name Makaio Huizar throughout several of the round-up posts. Now he’s back, and he’s stepped his music game up to the next level with his new track ‘CLOSET.’ This track captures the signature feeling of melancholy and exploration of past struggles as heard in his prior discography. However, it has more of an atmospheric, cinematic synthscape, as was explored a bit in his album “What Do You Want To Be When You’re Older?” ‘CLOSET’ dropped today, October 16th, 2026.
The rising, glitchy synth-tone intro of this track immediately sets it up for the way that it culminates at the end. Then there’s a quick shift to soft, reverberated piano with the breathy emotional vocals laid over top. Everything about the piano seems to float around and around, in a way that feels meant to pull listeners to a space where they can think and feel deeply. Also, the vocal delivery feels deeply human. The production gives great clarity, but there are little voice cracks here and there that are delivered with intention and feeling. That being said, the melody still jumps out beautifully and stays in tune.
Then, there’s a small synth build-up, and at 1:13 a reverberated vocal enters for a moment, and the synths start to become more prominent. After this, there’s a slow climb in energy, all with delivered strikes that raise the ante and deliver on the anticipation. It sets things up in a way that feels like the climax, but then it keeps getting bigger and bolder. In the outro of ‘CLOSET’, a repeated “ahh” strikes back-to-back with powerful, held-out, dreamy vocals. It then fades back into softness for one final moment of somber. In its whole, this track breaks into an experimental vein for Huizar, and every single part of it feels meticulously crafted. This is a musical evolution from his prior discography, and it’s an astounding one at that.
Lyrically, ‘CLOSET’ delivers a clear experience; that experience being one that is relatable to many in the LGBTQIA+ community. In it, Huizar is speaking about a relationship. One that is one-sided due to the fear from another. It starts off with the lines, “We were in your basement / We were hiding from your parents / Hoping they wouldn’t notice / you wanted to keep me hidden.” For many, these lyrics alone may pull goosebumps to the skin and produce a chill of melancholic emotion. It’s about being young and in love with someone who can’t return the same level of love that is given.
Later on, Huizar likens himself to that of a favorite sweater. One that’s kept in the CLOSET save for rare, special occasions. It shares the perspective of someone who’s deeply in love, and though they are like the “favorite” shirt, the other person isn’t ready to be open about their sexuality and love. The lyrics mixed with the vocals make this track so raw and real, as if it comes straight from the heart. It captures the experience of want and yearning while feeling more like someone else’s experiment. It gets into what it’s like needing someone’s attention and love to the fullest, all while that person can only give a part of themself and keep the rest hidden most of the time. ‘CLOSET’ is a chilling deep cut of a song that also does well at pulling listeners directly into its atmosphere.
‘CLOSET’ dropped today, and it’s such a vivid experience to be had!
Written by Sage Plapp
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