I’ve been impressed, hugely impressed, by recent releases from LELO, but this, this is something else.
It starts simply – guitar, then guitar, voice and drums – but that’s deceptive. For this track changes it’s one moment of oh so dreamy pop, the next it dips into dark classic synth pop. It shifts tempo. It throws unexpected sounds at you – cello like sounds at one point and strange trumpet sounds at another. It’s all jagged and broken musically.
And yes, there are at points layers and layers of sound but somehow it stops short of being overwhelmingly dense. Those sounds are given space. Every sound is there for a reason.
But those sounds and changes convey emotion and atmosphere. Add in those characteristic LELO vocals and words that simply communicate what the song is about so well, and what you have is a song that tugs at your emotions.
So what is the song about? LELO singer Ronan Peaker says, “I think breaking up with a partner is very similar to mourning – there’s this overwhelming sea of emotion that takes over; anger, bitterness, sadness. But there’s also the fear of facing the unknown without this person – your rock by your side. This song is about me wading nervously through that period, determined to come back just as strong as I was.”
It’s somewhere we’ve all been at some stage in our lives, I know I have, and this song – both musically and lyrically – encapsulates the feeling of breaking up with someone so well.
Having re-read what I’ve written so far, it’s all bit too analytical, a bit too ‘music reviewer’ to be honest. This isn’t how I connected with this song at all. My initial connection was purely on an emotional level. I found myself feeling what this song is about somewhere deep inside, it connected with my own personal experience. I actually found parts of it emotionally painful. I guess what I then did was to try and work out why it did this, what was it about ‘I’ll Be Fine’ that did that to me.
This song is beautiful (a word I’ve been accused of over-using, but I mean it every time I describe a song as beautiful, it’s not a word I use lightly). It’s incredibly emotional, and it does that without being overblown, without employing those musical tricks that some songs use to convey emotion. It is, for all those changes and sounds a simple song. A beautiful simple song.
In addition to the digital release the song will also feature on the coloured vinyl 12” LEARN FEAR EP-01 alongside other Leeds and Bradford artists The Magic Eye Pictures, Niall Summerton and E X P E R I M E N T 6 3 7. The EP is released on 22 November and is available for pre-order here: https://learnfear.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=55137
LELO will also headline a special LEARN FEAR EP-01 launch party at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on Saturday 23rd November. Tickets are available now.
