On a surprising acoustic monitor, UK-based singer/songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich makes an attempt to maneuver on from the previous whereas wandering the streets of “New York.”
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When I first visited New York Metropolis, I appeared up on the huge skyscrapers, then lowered my head to observe the a whole bunch of pedestrians strolling previous me, and I couldn’t recover from how small the town made me really feel. It wouldn’t be a superb place to run away to after a coronary heart wrenching breakup.
However that’s the precise scenario singer/songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich finds himself in on “New York,” one of many standout singles from his new album Some Issues Break (February 9, 2024 through Soiled Hit). The music tells the story of somebody wandering by the town whereas reflecting on a previous relationship they nonetheless haven’t gotten over. It’s a hauntingly lovely monitor that places Leftwich’s abilities on full show.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich is a UK-born musician with 5 albums of authentic music to his identify. At an early age, he was impressed to select up a guitar after listening to The Beatles along with his father. Along with the Beatles, he has talked about Smashing Pumpkins, Damien Rice, and Bruce Springsteen as influences. In a 2012 interview, he described his admiration for Springsteen, saying that “although he crosses a number of genres with completely different information, the songs are all the time king for him.”
You possibly can hear this dedication to the craft of songwriting in Leftwich’s music. It’s inconceivable to hearken to one among his songs with out noticing his expertise for crafting unforgettable melodies and lyrics, and “New York” is an ideal instance of this reward. The music opens with a hanging picture depicting the curler coaster journey a passionate but rocky relationship can take you on:
Nobody right here in New York
Can do me such as you do
Can fill my mattress with roses
Whereas smashing up the room
The simplicity of the music’s association — Leftwich’s emotive vocals are accompanied solely by a finger-picked acoustic guitar—leaves the singer nowhere to cover. It’s straightforward to image the artist sitting on his mattress in a claustrophobic New York lodge room penning this music, or singing the traces to himself in a whisper as he walks by the town lit by streetlights.
The lyrics quickly reveal that it is a story not a couple of present relationship however about somebody reliving the previous and greedy for a manner ahead.
When the lights go down on Broadway
And the music begins to fade
I’m crying on the Brooklyn Bridge
Whereas strangers look away
This music went on an attention-grabbing journey earlier than showing on Leftwich’s new file. Benjamin is pals with Matty Healy of The 1975, and he shared the music with Matty after writing it. Healy then performed the music at an acoustic efficiency opening for Phoebe Bridgers in 2021 and added his personal bridge to Leftwich’s association. That bridge later took on a lifetime of its personal and developed into the 1975’s 2022 single “A part of the Band.” It’s an interesting look into the artistic course of and the best way songs can evolve and encourage different songwriters earlier than making it onto an album.
“New York” closes in resignation and loneliness. Leftwich sings of reaching out to his previous love although he is aware of this former flame isn’t considering of him. The immensity of New York Metropolis feels overwhelming within the midst of the loss.
I knew that you just’d moved on by now
I shouldn’t have known as, I do know
However nobody right here in New York appears to care
That I’m alone
But there’s an odd consolation that may come from listening to such a wistful music. It’s the belief that in these moments of loss and loneliness, you aren’t completely alone since you aren’t the one one experiencing these feelings. “New York” is a music about isolation, however the best way that it describes that isolation is relatable in methods that may go away the listener feeling paradoxically much less alone. It takes you thru the highs and lows of the connection, exhibits you the despair that greets you within the quiet moments after it’s over, and assures you that each one of that is a part of a troublesome however quintessentially human expertise.
That’s the ability of a voice, a guitar, and an awesome music.
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