What is the sound of post-breakup frustration? Is it area-ready country pop, fashioning the rush of drums, distorted guitars, and choral stacks into explosive missiles aimed at the heart? Or is it more of a quiet rage, transforming taut bass and lap steel into a simmering fuse? On the latest single from singer/songwriter, Lisa Murray, "Stuck On You" blends both into a powerful expression. Murray's skill in production is evident from the deft layering of instrumentation that builds seamlessly through her clear songwriting. The use of lap steel is subtle enough to stand towards the back, alongside the dense layering of synth-like vocal harmonies. These touches give "Stuck On You" a western flavor, complimenting Murray's powerful, anthemic vocals and songwriting. There's an ease to which the song travels between simmering and explosive; one moment Murray's growling over tense hi-hats and bass, then the next the she's roaring alongside stadium-sized rock. The impact is never jarring: it only serves to highlight her lyrical storytelling as the verses create intimate specificity that maximize the force behind the broader chorus. As Murray draws out the titular phrase in the last moments of "Stuck On You," we're ominously left without resolution.
"I heard you've fallen in love, or something along those lines." Murray opens "Stuck On You" with a direct address to a former partner. If their new relationship seems vague, that's because she suspects it to be more of a rebound than commitment. "How come I still catch you looking at me that way?" These questions don't have answers—at least not answers we're privy to—but they paint a complex portrait that elevates the single beyond a typical post-breakup anthem. As the song progresses, her questions become more interrogative, like unspoken warnings. "Are you just playing with her heart the way you played with mine?" There are no keyed-up cars or slashed tires in "Stuck On You," however. As the title suggests, "after everything you've put me through, / I'm still stuck on you." It becomes fascinatingly unclear how much of her frustration is directed inward.
Lisa Murray is a Dublin-born and London-based singer/songwriter. Alongside her personal music career, Murray puts her Masters in Music Production, Technology, and Innovation to use as an audio engineer at Sony Music Entertainment. Dedicated to closing the gender gap in the music industry, heading the Dublin Chapter of shesaid.so and working with She Knows Tech. This activism and passion for women's rights is reflected in much of her music, including the lead single for her upcoming EP, "Woman in a World." "Stuck On You" arrives as the second single teasing towards her debut EP, "Empty Heart." The single released alongside a remarkable music video, which you can view above.
Written By Andy Mockbee
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