These days, perhaps to people like myself, people who have been around the block a few times, pop music is a shadow of its former self, an often lowest common denominator form that has been reduced to a lot of style and little substance. A great pop record, rather than one that is merely infectious, is rare. Rare, but not non-existent.
“Can’t Let You Go” might sit further towards an indie-folk space, but it is, at its heart, a pop record. And a great one. Here, Sabina Chantouria has teamed up with Georgian composer Alterwill (she is also of both Swedish and Georgian heritage), and the result is a clever and creative song that sits at the meeting point of many crossroads.
Of course, it has no small amount of pop infectiousness, but is layered with the sort of tones and textures, chiming guitar motifs, melodic bass lines, and shimmering, fleeting sonics not often found in that genre. It leans into singer-songwriter traditions but is soaked in folky finesse and a more driving rock energy. It also perfectly blends accessibility with having something to say – in this case, the feelings that linger long after a relationship has run its course. It may at first seem deceptively simple, but the more you play it, the more rewarding it becomes. (Again, not generally a feature of the single-use, pop world.)
It looks like smart and sophisticated pop music is back on the menu. Hurrah!
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