“something to romanticize” by LILIE will give you chills. Deep inside a web of experimental production lies a classically beautiful song, sung by two intimate and warm-toned voices. Instruments and sounds fade–sometimes screech–in and out. Voices trail with billowing effects into oblivion. Pieces of this production will surprise you, delight you, and leave you wondering who could have designed something so genius.
This song opens with some echoing ghost notes, followed by some glowing arpeggios. The vocals come in and there’s immediately so much to consider. The tenor voice tightly mirrors a guitar lick–or vice versa. The effect of this is mind-boggling. It feels like a vocal effect, but it isn’t. Not five words go by before a higher harmony hangs above the melody, sometimes speaking the same words and other times carving an entirely different path. The vocals utter this incredible run in harmony (not a simple feat), and the listener can’t tear themselves away at this point.
The lyrical content is also pretty sneakily brilliant. The singer croons, “If I touch you will you break?” setting in motion a heartwrenching new section. Every rhyme, chord, inflection, and note fosters a whole slew of emotions: love, hesitation, pain. Not to mention this section is a bit more broken down. The words and idiosyncrasies of the voice can be heard with clarity. It perfectly juxtaposes the unfettered entropy of the previous section.
The rest of this song follows a similar pattern of masterful decisions and emotional gratification. It would be difficult to even name every detail that makes this song amazing. If you haven’t already, hear it for yourself. You won’t regret it.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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