VOCAL LONER is back for the third time this year, this time with a gut-wrenching narrative inspired by a film; this is ‘1976’.
Inspired by Orla Gartland, Simon & Garfunnkel, Arctic Monkeys, and dodie, Stockholm-based rookie musician VOCAL LONER brings a vulnerable, ghostlike ambience with them and their punky, alternative approach to making music. Soft inside, as they’re able to provoke deep emotions within her audience, the nineteen-year-old artist uses their songwriting and piano and guitar abilities with them to continue to make people fall for his fateful aura.
1976 is the last of three singles VOCAL LONER had announced they’d release during 2022. Both her cover of The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby, their self-penned man on the moon, and their latest release were produced by Tom Goren (Sabina Ddumba).
“This is, again, a tragic love song from another perspective — more of a tragic love story,” the artist begins with. Stating he’s taken heavy inspiration from a Star Is Born, the 1937 film presenting the doomed love between a famous man and a woman with deep aspirations to a similar future, VOCAL LONER decided to do their own take on the famous story that’s been recreated in film four separate times.
1976, their final result, tells a story of a relationship between a musician drowning in his drug addiction and a girl from his audience he’s fallen in love with. Much like her muse, the single emphasizes the difference in the worlds each character lives in, with one being high and the other low, and does not shy away from detailing their relationship’s descent into ruin in a tragically beautiful manner. From the mention of drugs to the inability to follow through with recovery, VOCAL LONER leads their audience step by step towards the sad ending of these star-crossed lovers.
Like the artist did to his lover, 1976 plays our hearts like guitar chords. Though the melancholic and pitiful feeling in the melody and the mournful lyrics never lead the listener in the wrong direction, the desire for the couple to have a happy ending prevails within us like a petite flame that refuses to go out. As such, the dire and blunt song brings forth a type of lament that comes from realizing the inevitable ended up happening.
With a title that works as an ode for the year (and the many great albums that came out during it) and a reference to a remake of its main inspiration, 1976 is an insightful and vulnerable indie ballad that’s guaranteed to move listeners.
If you enjoyed VOCAL LONER’s music and would like to stay updated, be sure to check out and follow their Instagram and TikTok accounts. To listen to their music, you can head over to their Spotify profile and Soundcloud, or you can purchase his music at Bandcamp.
You can also support the artist by streaming and sharing her music, which can be found in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, Alterindie State Of Mind, Female Rising Stars,and 12 New Songs This Week.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you should subscribe to Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists we’ve talked about!
This coverage was created via Musosoup#Sustainablecurator https://www.musosoup.com/sustainable-curator