Serendipity is one of my favorite movies; meeting the love of your life out of pure chance and subsequently having a wonderful romance was always appealing. My adoration for this movie is why I live life rather spontaneously and hopeful for a similar encounter… or another one. In my late teens, very early in my college career, I finally had this encounter. I was absolutely smitten because this person was everything I could have ever wished for in a partner. But you need to be precise with wishes - and I forgot to include in mine that this dream-partner had to love me in the same capacity that I loved them. What unfolded after this chance encounter was a tumultuous love-triangle that ended in them choosing the other person. I was beyond devastation - and it apparently still has an affect on me. While listening to Arin’s "Loving is Wasted", feelings I thought I had worked past resurfaced.
"Loving is Wasted" is a dream-pop track that centers on the misaligned dynamics within a love-triangle. But it's told from the perspective of the person sought after by the two admirers, which is unique. It also gives myself and others further insight into our own respective situations. The single opens with airy synths that invoke an atmosphere of self-reflection. Arin then lays down the first verse, describing the two admirers. The first admirer tells them "the things I wanna hear", while the second admirer's "been off forgetting" about them. Even though the second admirer is not as attentive as the first admirer, the second arouses these deeper feelings within them that the first cannot. But they want the second admirer to behave like the first admirer. That would help justify why they feel so deeply for this particular person. The second and third verses establish that the person sought after is aware that the first admirer is "everything I need". However, that awareness is not enough to conjure up an emotional attachment or desire - especially when this attachment and desire has already happened with the second admirer. The person sought after wishes things were different, though. Not only is the love the first admirer has for the person sought after wasted, but so is the love the person sought after has for the second admirer. The song closes on a somber note; the listening audience can feel the weight of the indecision on the person sought after - regardless of which admirer they choose, someone gets hurt. And speaking as a hurt admirer from a similar scenario, time has not necessarily healed my wound. Nevertheless, it has made me realize that time gives us the opportunity to work through the heavier emotions attached to the momentous event.
Arin is a singer and songwriter based in London. With a niche for storytelling and electronic pop, the artist has created intimate pieces of music that relate to literature lovers and synth addicts alike. This year's discography has featured smash-hit singles like "Anything", "Own Worst Enemy", and "Therapy". All of these tracks are easily relatable and almost feel like confessionals from the artist. If you've enjoyed Arin's music or gained some insight on your own life as I have, show the artist some virtual love in the form of streams, likes, and follows.
Written By Giavanna Gradaille
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