Foggy Hearts

GIYA

Single Review

By Luke Knowles

A beautifully written song is something many artists, big or small, can struggle with. Yes, you can write well written songs or touching songs that pull at the heartstrings of the listener, but there is something special about hearing a beautifully written song. Its both subtle and loud, graceful and unapologetic, but most of all it leaves you hypnotised by both the lyrics and the music. With this in mind I listen to as much music as I can, hoping to find the next hidden gem. I think I may have found it. ‘Foggy Heart’ is the beautifully crafted new single from singer/songwriter GIYA. It not only leans into the old Adige that less is more, but it also captures a feeling not to far from my own experience and defiantly one felt by many people around the world.

Within the song that is carried by a warm and fluid guitar line, GIYA dives into those moments when you find yourself reflecting and questioning your life so far. Be it the way in which you’ve come to defend on alcohol to create a good time or the fact that its better to look like your having fun than to actually tell people you’re not, it is a moment we’ve all shared. The marriage of this cathartic and raw topic with the flowing, atmospheric guitar immediately had me in the palm of its hands. Then, sprinkled in like gifts for your ears, there are moments of subtle harmonies and short synth lines that add to the ‘lonely in a crowd’ feel of the song.

While the music and the lyrics play a huge role in the enjoyment of the track, it is the use of the music to reflect the lyrics that showcase just how passionately GIYA attacks her songwriting. My favourite example of marrying the music and the lyrics for full impact is in the way that during the line “….trying to drown out all this empty noise…” The guitar becomes muted and distant while the lyrics stay in the foreground, bringing a huge element of depth to the song in that brief moment. Then when the music kicks back to full volume you get a sad sense of loosing that battle which again feeds the overall theme of the song. The track then builds with a sense of frustrated hope as towards the end drums patter into the music and the song takes on a larger feeling and feels less compact.

Overall, as I said above it is difficult to create a song worthy of the term ‘Beautiful’ but for me, this is what GIYA has achieved. Its a song that both touches the heart and brings a bitter smile to your lips. You almost get sense of sitting in a crowded room but rather than fixate on those around you you gaze off into the busy street below, all the while absorbing the noise, but not engaging. I truly look forward to hearing more from GIYA in the future and look forward to hearing where she takes her music next.

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