Eliza Shaddad – “Always” (Stereogum Premiere)
UK-based singer-songwriter Eliza Shaddad is set to drop her Run EP later this week. The first two singles, “Run” and “Wars,” were excellent, provocative, confessional statements. Her latest share from the EP, “Always,” is an evocative, minimal trip, churning around Shaddad’s laments about being unable to let go of someone as she embarks on a new relationship. It begins with a pulsing intro and sparse drum hits before the infectious, rhythmic guitar line comes in, combining with Shaddad’s dreamy vocals for a penetrating and easily relatable experience. Shaddad vulnerably admits on the hook “Ever I think of you/ Even as I try not to/ Even as I fall into/ Someone new.” The minimal arrangement allows for the lyrics to slowly circle around the instrumentation before they combine on a huge hook and plunge into visceral, seemingly unavoidable feelings like water down a shower drain. Her candidness, susceptibility, and alluring delivery combine for a cathartic excursion. Listen.
The Run EP is out 3/18 via Beatnik Creative.