On this edition of LITM Pop Picks, tracks take on wistful sentimentality and aching melancholy. Each track attempts to process heartache while facing the world, whether it’s in love lost or reeling from scorn (or both). The list features Lina Fouro, Philip La Rosa, HERÁ and more!
1. Lina Fouro - Someday
‘Someday’ by Lina Fouro is a pop-rock tune fuelled by wistful longing and bright, yet slightly subdued piano melodies. The melodies build as the narrator reminisces on a love and lover gone past. “...I’m longing for you but there’s no way I can reach you now…”.
Though the song holds out hope for this love, this while they acknowledge that they didn’t treat their love well while they had it. They hold out wistful hope in their longing, optimistic that they will “...figure out how to rewrite history…”. Hoping that their lost love comes back to them in the process.
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2. HERÁ - Before And After Tragedy
‘Before And After Tragedy’ by HERÁ uses bright guitar and piano melodies to ponder who one is in the face of their circumstances. Cascading melodies with this tinge, a breath of melancholy surround this charged reflection and build as the song goes on.
“...I want to know who I’d be before and after tragedy. I don’t know either…”. The song reflects on identity in the middle of turmoil, calm on the surface but brimming with emotional charge on the inside. The song’s narrative takes on these familiar questions from a perspective that feels refreshing in its weighted, breathy melancholy.
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3. Kelsie Kimberlin - Sucker
‘Sucker’ by Kelsie Kimberlin is a bright, up-beat track that ponders heartbreak in dynamic rhythms rather than somber melodies. The song’s funk immerses its listeners in rhythm that pulls you to your feet, eventually sweeping you away with its expansive, spiralling breakdown at the climax.
From the quick-paced rhythms under “...where’d you go when I needed you more…”, that feels a bit far and in a dynamic pulse. This to the expansive, spaced-out melodies under “...life’s not real when I’m without you…”. The song takes us through the ebb and flow of heartache, quick to surface at times and easy to fall into at others.
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4. Philip La Rosa - Blueprints
‘Blueprints’ by Philip La Rosa mourns a lost, meaningful relationship. Its piano melodies build melancholic melodies while the lyrics reminisce on that relationship gone past. “...We built our relationship on trust and laughs, now it’s come crashing down…turned to ash…”.
The narrator compares this relationship to a house turned to rumble, “...foundations cracked…walls torn apart…”. The soundscape evokes a familiar sort of heartache, one that feels akin to a friendship or a love simply slipping away in a landslide, leaving you behind, wondering if you could have done more. It grieves the ache of losing someone who chooses to walk away/ one had to walk away from.
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5. Mara Liddle - SWEET TALK
‘SWEET TALK’ by Mara Liddle opens with a rush of sound that feels packed with indiscernible emotion. The lyrics layer in soon after, reflecting on the redundant nature of sweet talk.“...Sweet talk doesn’t win wars…it just gets stuck in your teeth…”.
“...If you want to open a door, sometimes you’ve got to use force…”. The melodies pull in hard-won frustration that melds with the lyrics to create what feels like a dynamic punch to the gut. The song’s lyrics take hard-truths and says it like it is. “...It wasn’t meant to be easy…”.
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