This is a slow dance with your ride-or-die, with a ballad on the juke.

The under-sketch of raw poise is still visible beneath the muted and scant contexture: simple beauty, served over a framework of vulnerability.

It’s a satisfying, introspective, and deeply original sound, extending the power of vocal cadence and western harmony over a ragged backdrop of overlapping phrases and syncopated orchestral ostinati.

Who are we, if we don’t define ourselves in contrast to something, or someone, else?

Carty somehow mirrors the then-acoustic sound of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, with generous verses and a feeling of absolute truth, just with a full band and better vocals.

The quality of collectivism and the level of balance between boisterous college-pop and a more restrained art-rock make The Kelseys a band to watch out for.

Because where exactly is the line between asking and begging, if the game is love, and your heart is the money?

The final message is one of hope, and solidarity - which we need right now, in all its raw melancholy.

The melody feels finely-groomed, as does the production; it’s a pop song dressed up for Friday Night.

As usual with Marchal the texture of the groove and the lead vocal itself is infused with grit and style.

It’s deliberately arbitrary and deeply embellished, with a soft focus like a scattergun.

Just lean back, into that loping slow-funk pocket, and let it move you.

The dynamics of the arrangement work flawlessly to create contrast between kick-and-snare-heavy elevation and the low purr of a synth patch.

There is a palpable gravitas to the lead vocal, projected from the existential pain of life itself, that informs the mood.

It’s both distraught and serene, like the calm pocket inside the eye of the storm.

Woven into the string of emotions, both remembered and sudden, is that poetic determinism that belongs to the romantic.

Grief is a track that deals with a difficult subject by using catharsis, by replacing the sense of loss with a feeling of accomplishment.

The girl may have moved on, but the song is going to stay with you.

It strikes a tone of casual elegance that feels very urban, very premeditated, and very well-executed.

It’s a recipe that has been used before by The Lumineers, but this feels less surgical, and more of a party; the synergy here between elements is undeniable.