My first listen to every song focuses solely on the sound, with the lyrics (and their cohesion to the sound) getting my attention on the following listen. In the case of "Heartbreak?" I found myself drawn into not only Faith Louise's remarkable voice but her words. The vocal performance captivated me as Louise dove over and into the instrumental backdrop. The specificity of her delivery felt effortless, showcasing Louise at her most striking, soft, and commanding. While "Heartbreak?" could just as easily soundtrack a nighttime drive through the neon city, I find the dazzling single to be just as rewarding with my full, breathless attention. The sound of "Heartbreak?", especially in the chorus, has a distinctly 80's flavor: rich guitar tones, dancefloor synth hits, and soaring vocals. Underneath the mix, however, is the hints of more modern, electronic flavor. The grimier bass bring out the song's depth, twisting the bright melody ever-so-slightly into a bittersweet pop anthem. The effect is gently head-spinning, longingly buoyant.
The bittersweetness in the song's sound brings out the complexity of Louise's lyrics. The artist sings not of heartbreak, but the potential for it's devastation. "It was a fresh start, a new beginning," she opens with, but the butterflies feel more like warnings. "Is this gonna be a setback?" She questions in the chorus. The specificity of replacing "heartbreak" with "setback" is so intentional, so fascinating to me. It's this nuance that makes Louise's songwriting feel confessional—considered without demanding your understanding. It's relatable, but there's the personal touches that feel inseparable from the artist. "It's so simple for me to run," the pop-singer admits, but she quickly turns on her inner-saboteur, "I just couldn't do it, no, I won't do it." Her voice flies over the instrumental, defiant.
Faith Louise is a 17-year-old singer/songwriter based in Essex. The now eight singles she's released over the past three years have documented her artistic growth and ambitions from a young age. Prior singles demonstrate Louise's pop versatility with an electronic sound. In early 2021, Louise singed to the London-based record label, Regent Street Records. Winning a slew of awards in the entertainment sphere, she's proved her artistic voice to be professionally developed. Undeniably a rising force in pop, Louise has laid the foundation for a bright future in art. "Heartbreak?" arrives as the performer's first single of 2023, though more is certain to come.
Written By Andy Mockbee
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