Blending a lovely lo-fi pop sound with some hazy psychedelic vibes, “Coup de grâce” is almost more of a feeling, a state of mind, a mood than it is a song in the more traditional sense. Of course, it is a song, but it seems to reach further into the listener than the usual pop or rock song can ever hope to do, a sound that is absorbed more by osmosis than through the usual sense, a sound that cocoons rather than merely makes contact.
But perhaps that is because it comes from a very personal yet still relatable place. Woven around its hushed and lysergic core, its lilting folkiness and its feeling of pathos is something touching, something full of heartache and sadness. But, ultimately, also hope.
As the name suggests (Coup de grâce meaning a final blow, a decisive end to something), this song is about those lowest moments in life when a struggle or sudden emotional upheaval feels like the last straw. But as the song makes clear, such moments are not final blows or defeats but catalysts for change, moments of reflection when, hopefully, you see that you need a new path to walk, a new course to steer.
It is a bitter-sweet song but also an optimistic one, reminding us that when life seems at its worst, there is an answer, and that answer is found within us.
