Gabi Sklar’s infectious new single is a brutally honest anthem about being the villain in your own life. “Lonely Times” divulges the singer’s internal battle of feeding into her own loneliness. She often finds herself “questioning the difference between time spent alone versus time spent lonely.” While she often feels alone and isolated, she is far from it. Rather, she just places herself into this melancholic isolation by choosing to stay inside all alone. In the first verse, Sklar introduces the listener to this lonely scene with the lyrics: “Callin’, blowing up my phone, I keep ignorin’// Rather be alone// I tell them, “Was that today? Didn’t even know.”// It’s a quarter past late, maybe I don’t have to go.” With these lines, the artist illustrates that she is not alone. Her friends truly do want to see her and make every attempt to make plans, but she constantly makes excuses and blows them off. However, in the chorus she explains the reasoning behind her behavior as she sings: “How do you expect me to be the life of every single party// Even in a crowded room, there’s nobody// These are lonely times.” Even when she is out, she still feels lonely. It is hard to put on a front and pretend that everything is okay to a crowd of people, so instead she would rather sulk in the silence of her home. There is comfort in knowing that at least when she is alone in her room, it is understandable that she feels lonely. The world we live in is filled with darkness and sorrow, making it difficult to find joy. Sklar ingeniously articulates this with “Lonely Times,” ironically making the listener feel less alone as they relate it back to their own personal struggles.
With “Lonely Times”, Sklar and her producer, Anton Goransson, effortlessly blend genres while highlighting the singer’s outstanding vocals. Throughout the track, the keyboard provides different sound effects while the song’s prominent bassline originates from the iconic doo-wop genre. The track immediately kicks off into the verse with only the bass and finger-snaps to set the beat. Mesmerizing background vocals make an appearance to signify a shift in the production. The percussion increases while the keyboard plays a light melody, providing a greater dynamic to the soundscape. Then, a slight change in the percussion signifies the transition into the chorus where the song breaks into the full production. The bass becomes more prevalent in the background while Sklar’s powerful vocals showcase her remarkable range. There are no background vocals present in the first chorus until the very end. This makes the switch to the substantial vocal melodies in the second chorus even more evident, enhancing the complex production. The bass in this chorus is still heavy while the production contains a subtle circus-like melody in the background, once again emphasizing the unique genre-blending style. This infectious soundscape ebbs and flows for the remainder of the track, fully committing to the highly advanced and meticulously thought-out instrumentation. If “Lonely Times” is any indication of Sklar’s talent, then the singer is clearly destined for absolute superstardom.
Gabi Sklar is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter based in New York City. With only a handful of singles and a 2019 debut, Sklar has already made impressive waves in the industry. She has over 3.6 million followers on TikTok and over 1.1 million on Instagram. “Lonely Times” is the lead single off of her upcoming debut EP, set for a 2024 release. Sklar works closely with Grammy Award winning multi-platinum producer, Tommy Brown, at Champagne Therapy Music Group. Furthermore, she has also been trained by vocal coach, Don Lawerence, chorographer, Laurie Ann Gibson, and performance coach, KJ Rose. Each of these professionals have worked with some of the industry’s biggest names, such as Lady Gaga and Diddy, preparing Sklar for the inevitable stardom she is destined to attain. Keep an eye out on her social media for updates on any new releases and important announcements!
Written By Karlee Skipper
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