Song of the Week: The 1975 Make Romantic Desperation Sound Fun on “Oh Caroline”
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The post Song of the Week: The 1975 Make Romantic Desperation Sound Fun on “Oh Caroline” appeared first on Consequence.
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, The 1975 unravel the messiness of love with “Oh Caroline.”
“I’ve been suicidal” is a hell of a way to open a song, but Matty Healy and The 1975 have never shied away from blunt honesty. It’s present in the group’s 2016 track “She’s American” (“If she says I’ve got to fix my teeth, then she’s so American”); it’s all over 2018’s “Be My Mistake” (“The smell of your hair reminds me of her feet”); and it’s tucked into various corners of the band’s latest album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language.
The album is refreshing, and the band sounds energized throughout the eleven songs, four of which were released ahead of the full LP. Track 5, “Oh Caroline” is home to the aforementioned opening line, and it’s not the only time Healy references suicide, misery, or desperation, in this song or in the album at large. Naturally, this song in particular packages this confessional in a sunny, easy listen, and what could have been a quiet, acoustic ballad is instead something playful and almost hopeful.
“Oh Caroline” lays it all out, placing every card someone might want to hold close to their chest right in the center of the table. “Baby, I’ll do anything that you wanna/ I’ll try anything that you wanna,” Healy promises. He even pulls out examples — begging on his knees, getting cucked, waiting at the window for his lover to return home. It doesn’t position him as anything important or even remotely powerful in this relationship, but that doesn’t seem to matter. All that matters here is that his lover, this Caroline, gives him another try.
It’s the messiness of romance and the adage that love makes a person do crazy things in its purest, most literal form. One thing The 1975 have a particular knack for is taking concepts that might otherwise be uncomfortable and making them intensely palatable. Here, utter desperation almost sounds fun.
— Mary Siroky
Contributing Editor
Honorable Mentions:
Barrie – “Unholy Appetite”
After the release of her stunning sophomore album Barbara this year, singer-songwriter Barrie has returned with “Unholy Appetite,” an upbeat track that finds her hearkening back to the jangly dream pop of her debut. “Unholy Appetite” also takes after the joyous confidence that Barbara boasts. “I got my body right/ I’m gonna push if you pull,” she sings on the opening lines, before settling into a warm, glowing groove. The chord combination calls to mind The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” but it also feels like a double-time advancement on the synth wash and satisfying bassline of a much older Barrie track, “Tal Uno.” And though Barbara dug deeper into synths than ever before, “Unholy Appetite” features an irresistible guitar hook that’s perfectly in line with Barrie’s indie majesty while also having a timeless quality. — Paolo Ragusa
Hope Tala – “Stayed at the Party”
British singer-songwriter Hope Tala has been on a streak of party-starting singles: “Leave It On The Dancefloor,” “Party Sickness,” and “Tiptoeing” have all been sleek, percussive cuts that match her soft, versatile voice with an ample amount of energy. But her new song, “Stayed at the Party,” prioritizes tenderness over the manic energy of a party. She’s less interested in finding love or setting some arbitrary end goal for her night, and instead is relishing in the love of her friends, the freedom of the present moment, and the comfort of simply not being alone. She investigates some of the existential quandaries that accompany a night out, concluding with, “I’ll just stay at the party/ dance ’til my feet hurt/ tell all my friends I love them for no reason.”
It’s one of her most strikingly pure moments of songwriting, and even puts some of her newer singles in a different context. Through all the party sickness and dancefloor dynamics, it’s about who you share your night with, the moments of purity and love that you’ll look back fondly on in 20 years. — P.R.
Zach Bryan – “Starved”
What a year it’s been for Zach Bryan. Thanks to his massive, 34-track album American Heartbreak and breakout single “Something in the Orange,” Bryan has skyrocketed into country music’s spotlight and beyond. This week, the very same week “Something in the Orange” was certified platinum, he comes through with “Starved,” a new song that once again proves the songwriter’s knack for understated, emotional balladry.
The tune starts sparse, with acoustic guitar and pedal steel, before a thumping tom pattern leads the instrumentation into the song’s first crescendo. Bryan barrels through that cycle once more, all the while delivering poignant lyrics of a love since passed. It’s emotionally gutting, thoroughly engaging, and simply beautiful — and, really, what else were we expecting from Zach Bryan? — Jonah Krueger
Black Belt Eagle Scout – “Don’t Give Up”
Her first new material since 2019’s At the Party With My Brown Friends, “Don’t Give Up” reintroduces Katherine Paul, who performs as Black Belt Eagle Scout, in all of her lo-fi indie glory. The tune brings together all of the indie signifiers Paul’s project has embraced thus far, from the Microphones-esque acoustic guitar to the swirling, dreamy backdrop to Paul’s quiet, melodic lead vocals. Underneath the endearing production, however, lies a truly irresistible tune — the dressing just so happens to be the cherry on top. Paul never slacked when it came to her songwriting, and “Don’t Give Up” continues to hit the high mark she’s set for herself. — J.K.
shy martin – “wish i didn’t know you”
The title alone of shy martin’s latest lets you know you’re in for a wistful listen. On her first single since 2021, the Swedish singer-songwriter encapsulates a state of malaise through soft, strumming guitar that pairs well with her dreamy, forlorn vocals. Melancholic in tone, “wish i didn’t know you” is the proverbial “good cry” needed when feeling dejected. As for the story it tells, Martin comes to terms with the harsh reality of a former relationship: “Heaven don’t care/If I think this love is unfair/Cause I could be all that you want/Hold your weight in my arms/Still you’d pass me by.”
Having written for artists like Bebe Rexha and Ellie Goulding in the past, Martin’s focus is now on herself, and “wish i didn’t know you” is a proper start toward “her very own bedroom renaissance,” as she explained in a statement. — Joe Eckstein
KEANA – “In My Head (Ah Ah)”
KEANA describes herself as someone who makes music in the place where reality meets fantasy, and her latest, “In My Head (Ah Ah),” occupies the sonic space that could serve as the background music for a dream. The atmospheric synth-pop track evokes the feeling of a memory that’s been visited so many times, and from so many different angles, that it almost doesn’t feel real anymore. It’s nostalgia as viewed through a kaleidoscope.
This song in particular, with its infectious, catchy chorus, zeroes in on the moment in a relationship just before it comes to a close. The promise of the song, though, is that the next chapter is waiting — and perhaps it’ll be a better one. — M.S.
Darla Jade – “Imposter Syndrome”
Rising UK pop artist Darla Jade has provided an anthem not just for those among us who suffer from imposter syndrome, but also those of us who simply get obsessed with the people we are romantically tangled with. (Bonus points if you check both boxes.) “Imposter Syndrome” is one of the focus tracks off her new EP, Only The Paranoid Survive, and serves as a strong introduction to the space her music occupies — the song features a truly satisfying drop into the chorus beneath her easygoing vocals and relatable lyrics. — M.S.
Top Songs Playlist:
Song of the Week: The 1975 Make Romantic Desperation Sound Fun on “Oh Caroline”
Mary Siroky and Consequence Staff
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