I’d Die For You is a song that works hard to represent the issue of love in the face of betrayal. Lines like I see these shoes, red ruby shoes – didn’t know they’d walk all over me highlight how easily hypnotised we can become in the face of beauty or desirable imagery. Emotional Relation has written a song that feels like a totally honest outpouring of desperation, difficulty, and passion. The lyrics never fail to put forth the inner truths of the character at the forefront of the story, and in some respects, the general musicality of this release reflects that honesty and that struggle as well.
I’d Die For You seems to lean in a couple of different directions, musically speaking. There are moments of punk rock, emo even – not dissimilar to the sound of certain bands from the noughties and late nineties. There’s also a Queen-like guitar solo during the latter half of the song, adding further swagger to that rock aura. In the beginning though, the single guitar strum and the delicate, emotional leading voice seem to hint at something totally gentle and almost acoustic. It feels up close and personal at first, the two different vocal tones bring a sense of multiple characters being involved – it adds a level of theatre to the piece, and as this back and forth progresses, it does so in time with the gradual evolution of the music.
At around the minute and a half mark, the musicianship sees things move in a totally new direction – there’s space, adding impact to what follows, and then the rhythm and energy of it all start to rise and rise, leading boldly towards those final few moments of volume and passion. This is where the rock sound really comes through – the distortion, the raw vibrancy, the angst. The song is unusual for all of these reasons and more. It’s undoubtedly characterful and the performances make for a pretty memorable experience.
Download the music via CDBaby.
