See, even pop songs can be smart and relatable. Sure, there is always room for the obvious pop “banger”, as the kids and seemingly over-caffinated commercial radio DJs call them (do they still say that?), the sort of thing that is the soundtrack to a Saturday night out, but when you want something a bit more thoughtful yet no less infectious, then “So Long Solo” is for you.
There is a gentleness to the song’s initial moves, an understatement that reveals its sophistication, a canvas onto which other ornate textures are slowly added. And the way that this slow burner gains its sonic weight is a masterclass in arrangement. Rather than go for any obvious big changes of pace or exercises in volume or velocity, instead, Collete Brady-McEntee steps things up eloquently and incrementally.
Drums slide in behind her, brooding sonics join her exquisite piano lines, and the song spirals gently upwards towards the anthemic, but shapes itself through interesting interludes and dynamics, clever ebbs and flows between pace and poise.
And the title pretty much spells out the sentiment here. Sometimes you get to a point in your life, after a period of living life on your own, in the relationship sense, that you feel the need for someone in your life. We have all been there. However, as the song warns, there is no need to rush; maybe the right people will come along when you most need them. Hang in there, stay the course, the right one is worth waiting for.
Clever pop, poised pop, proper pop is back on the menu!
