I can’t get this song out of my head!!!! Why, you ask? Well, if you’re curious, scroll on!
Long story short, the production is super cool. It’s got groove, and it catches my ear’s attention at every chance it gets. Every element encapsulated within extends the vibe conveyed by the writing. There’s also a lot of layers to listen through – it’s one of those songs where you never stop noticing new things.
The build to the drop: Coming from “I’ll be fine” then those little strings, the soft synth that pitch bends up, the crunchy snare fill while the melody has a pickup that drives us straight into the brightness that comes with that cymbal hit on the first downbeat. I think there’s a little harp-sounding add9 chord layered in with the cymbal that gives it a child-like joy, making this painkiller love feel innocent and beautiful. Gets me every time.
The chorus: I love the hook. The vocal production is great. The harmonies on the second half are glorious. The delay on “Close” makes it feel like there’s infinite space to fill, but there’s no need for the rest of the vocals to fill it. It’s beautiful on the exterior, and very satisfying throughout.
The bass line is simply dirty. Can’t get over those octave jumps, and that tone. The guitar jumps out and plays chords along with every hit, and the tones of the two guitars mesh beautifully. This is common in rock music, but the glory comes when the rest of the soundscape enters around them – it’s so wide, so many sound design opportunities taken advantage of.
The chord progression: Each half of the chorus ends with a bVII (flat seven) chord, aka the Bb chord in the key of C. The first half, the melody uses the opportunity to go for a minor 3rd on “miserable”, but it’s not just a minor 3rd in the original key, it’s acting as a sus4 extension to the Bb chord. The next time around, the melody goes up to me on “you keep me close” and it feels simply glorious. Fantastic example of modern word painting.
It feels like a common one, especially with the melody being so simple
From a quick look, this UltimateGuitar chart seems about right if you wanna see/mess around with the progression. Only thing that’s not quite there – it says the second chord in the intro is an E chord, which sounds good, but isn’t quite what’s happening – it is a C augmented (#5). Great use of that as a transitional chord. If you play it on the middle 4 strings of a guitar, it’s hard for your fingers, but a great voice leading exercise…
Overall: Great song. Great melodic and . Fantastic sound design and space. production.
Jake Sandakly 