Lottie McLeod’s new breakup song “Expire” explains the emotional struggle that comes from a break up with someone you love. This track shows how painful a breakup can be when it isn’t caused by conflict. It talks about a lesser-covered topic in lost love music niche, and truly resonates with listeners who grew apart from their partner. This particular breakup happened at the age of eighteen. For many people, this is a transitional stage of life where you are gaining more freedom as you move into adulthood and determine what it is you’d like to focus on most in your life.
“Expire” comes from a place of honesty and vulnerability, saying “I know you too well, you know how my head works, but we don’t talk much”. A relationship needs more than familiarity to lift you up. It takes communication and continuous growth, but this song tells the story of a stagnant, though comforting love. The speaker dives into personal details of how the relationship and continuing on together simply feels wrong. Listeners can feel the discomfort the speaker experiences through the harrowing lyrics: “I just feel like I’ve been sitting here holding somebody else’s place”. While the narrator was the one to end things, their partner knew it was coming. The speaker compares the feeling to death, capturing the unavoidable truth that no matter the reason, breakups are the worst form of heartache.
“Expire” uses a soft and somber narrative sound to take listeners into the emotional strife of the lyrics. The tune uses acoustic guitar and soft vocals with a high and vulnerable sound similar to Phoebe Bridgers. The guitar strums warmly, providing a simple alternating pattern of emphasis while the confessional vocals loom like an echo. After the first verse, the strumming stops as Lottie’s haunting voice carries out the last word, then there’s a pause. In this brief moment of silence, I was struck with the ghostly feeling like something’s missing. It emulates that post-breakup loneliness carried through the lyrics. Gentle percussion follows the pattern of the guitar, punctuating the resounding acoustic sound. The drums pick up a texture of their own in the second chorus, bringing a soft rock feel to this alternative pop song.
Lottie McLeod is an Australian musician whose music career started just last year and has been flourishing from the start. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. In her time in the spotlight, she won a Queensland Music Award in the Youth category, and has performed alongside artists like Mia Wray and Asha Jeffries. Lottie has an emotional lyricism that fans really connect with, covering themes of love and growth. She was granted the Billy Thorpe Scholarship with which she is recording her first EP. Recently she showcased at Bigsound, an Australian music festival. Lottie continues to work on an upcoming new project, to be released next year. Be sure to check out the links below to keep updated on Lottie’s music.
Written By Hanna Kowal
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