If it is not abundantly clear by now, most of the music I listen to falls in the rock/punk/metal side of things. I do listen to other things, and I do have a fondness for acoustic music. There’s a warmth to its simplicity. It’s not bombastic. It’s not in-your-face. But there’s something quite intimate about it. A focus on the little things. Metal songs about your ex’s dog just don’t really work, I don’t think. It works in the small spaces and moments between that acoustic music evokes. And Orla Gartland is one of my favorite acoustic musicians. Her guitar work is amazing and she has a brilliant voice. Songs like Zombie or Between My Teeth are some examples of my favorite songs if you ignore the lyrics. But the lyrics are still wonderful. And the lyrics are why I really enjoy Heavy.
Heavy is a breakup song. I’ve listened to a lot of them. From the “Fuck you, you don’t know what you’re missing” to the “I feel so lost without you.” Those songs have their place in my heart to be sure. There are just so many of them, though, it’s hard to find stuff that’s special. Heavy is just about the weird little things that just won’t happen anymore. About the things that fade into the background that you didn’t expect you would miss but you do. It’s about the weird time when you try and move someone from the “Romantic Partner” part of your brain to the “Friend” part of the brain. And no matter what you try it’ll always take time and it will be a strange process. There really aren’t a lot of songs that capture that feeling. Heavy is one of them.
