Anxiety is an all-consuming feeling. You have so much emotion built up inside, and you may not tell anyone about it. You fear that they won’t understand or will look at you differently. Keeping to yourself then leads to isolation which is an even worse feeling. In their powerful dark-pop song, “Hauntingly Familiar,” the Lunacy duo solves both of these problems. First, they unleash all their negative feelings in a healthy way through music. This lets listeners know that they are not alone in their feelings of anxiety, thus ending the isolation. It shows them the relief of voicing their struggles and letting go of some of the burden. Even if you’re one who doesn’t struggle with anxiety, this song will help you better understand those that are. It’s safe to say that Lunacy used their musical gifts in a great way.
The instrumentation perfectly matches the title of the song, for it sounds very haunting. It starts off strong with a creeping bass line and slow drums. When the emotional vocals come in, it compliments the instrumentation. The verses talk about the specific struggles of anxiety with lyrics like “drinking time away as I watch the rain fall.” As the chorus nears, there is a buildup of the music. You can then hear a loud electric guitar and drums. The chorus begins with the words, “I’m starting to break down, lonely and afraid now.” It seemed to me that this buildup illustrates how anxiety develops. It builds and builds until you just can’t take it anymore. This is why it is important to have people in our lives that we can confide in. Anxiety is too heavy for us to just keep to ourselves.
Lunacy is a duo made up of Salle Chatfield and Oliver Kindred. Chatfield was the runner-up on X-Factor Australia. Kindred was a Los Angeles based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. They met at work and fell in love. The two later turned their powerful romantic connection into a musical one as well. “Hauntingly Familiar” is their first release of 2023. It is also a track off of their upcoming EP. For now, if you want to hear more of them, I recommend their 2022 single, “Sad B!tch.” It has a great pop sound and talks about dealing with anxiety. Unlike “Hauntingly Familiar,” “Sad B!tch” talks about masking those feelings rather than letting them out. “Hauntingly Familiar” was a great start to their EP and I can’t wait to hear the rest! Follow all of their socials down below to be the first to hear of any new releases!
Written By Kelli Dixon
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