On the final verse of her latest single, ‘Simple Song’, New York indie-folk singer songwriter sings, “I hope you’ll find me worth coming back to”. It’s a straightforward sentiment but her performance is anything but simple. While on the one hand Lila Blue sounds coy and alluring, at the same time she reveals her anxiety in her voice.
‘Simple Song’ is the middle track on ‘Not Yet’, a four song EP, the most recent project from the ambitious and prolific young songwriter, which sees Lila Blue at her most intimate and confessional. Her music has been stripped back to its bare essentials: mesmerizing acoustic guitar patterns, resonant piano chords, and her own hushed, endlessly expressive voice, which has been sometimes double-tracked, sometimes augmented by beautiful harmonies from friends Damon Daunno and Gabriel Ebert.
Lila Blue wrote and recorded the songs for ‘Not Yet’ on her bathroom floor, during some of the toughest days of the pandemic. ‘Simple Song’ is a love story, but at the same time it is also quite clearly about the experience we’ve all had: a chronicle of a time of separation, forced repose, and longing for togetherness.
The closing scene in the video for ‘Simple Song’ recreates the pose on the cover of the ‘Not Yet’ EP. Lila Blue is on a city rooftop, seated in a chair, while the light from a single floor lamp holds back the beckoning night. The suggestion of waiting can be seen in her posture, while her facial expression is a study in uncertainty, loneliness, and hard-won strength. Directed by Samantha Soule, the video is as winsome as the song itself. Lila Blue plays guitar and sings in an apartment, telling her story to an impassive partner, played by the track’s other vocalist Gabriel Ebert. Meanwhile, dancers Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Grant, echo the song’s sentiments in their complex and intertwined movements.
Watch the video for ‘Simple Song’ below, and check out Lila Blue’s official website for more information about the artist and her music.
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