REVIEW: Something by LYD
Something, Birmingham-based LYD’s new single, is a honey-sweet snapshot of the sour difficulties behind self-discovery. Flaunting a soothing and gorgeously guttural vocal, Something is a lilting ode to finding oneself. However, grit underlines the self-deprecation of its wise lyrics.
LYD, a singer-songwriter studying at BIMM (British and Irish Institute of Modern Music) addresses imperfections and the important concept of “owning your own time”.
A flawless aspect of Something is LYD’s ability to craft lyrics that are both distinctively personal and universally resonant. “Split me open and you’ll see there’s just as much anxiety as you, dear. We all live with a different fear,” LYD sings mellifluously in the second verse. This relatable line strikes a solemn, inspiring chord with the listener: LYD is acknowledging them, their struggles and their misconceptions about themselves by sharing her own through her thoughtful art.
Guitarist Harry Sampson provides a mournful yet reassuring melody at the beginning of Something, comparable to the sophisticated mood of Hey by The Pixies. The guitar style throughout the track is in turns jarring and smooth, mirroring the tumultuous anxiety LYD references unapologetically in the lyrics. Something is a beautifully bare-faced stream of self-doubt; “I can’t help but get the feeling there’s instructions that I ought to know,” LYD laments in the self-informed, honest chorus. “Is there something in the water?” In an industry of gallant, shallow songwriting, stripped-back bravery is too often absent from popular music; LYD is standing with her back to the current, with tears in her eyes.
Inspired by the likes of Lianne La Havas and Paolo Nutini, LYD’s performance in Something is brimming with ungarish soul and diction akin to biting into a peach. Martin Nicholson provides dignified percussion that washes through the song, crisply punctuating Elliot Coleman’s impeccable mix.
In the bridge, the instrumentation lifts LYD’s vocal and lyrical clinchers into a sparkling section of self-assurance and hope; “How could I ever feel lonely when this house is so homely, and I feel like I know me?” LYD sings, the croony, celebratory melody of this line embracing the listener with its flushed sense of finally finding that special “something”. How magical it is to discover that the “something” is yourself.
The listener imagines LYD dancing by herself around a rosy room, clutching a radio to her chest, grinning with her electric-blue lips.
“Is there something I’ve been searching for?” LYD wonders in the final chorus, but the battle-cry melisma of this question assures the reader that she has finally found it.
Something is a delectable taste of more “homely” music to come from this quietly courageous singer-songwriter, a track that suggests, despite LYD’s opinion, that she is indeed “emotionally mature”.
© Melissa Julianne Severn 2021
Listen to Something:
LYD’s Instagram: LYD (@lydmusic_uk) • Instagram
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