Blending the nostalgic indie rock sway of easy guitars, riffs, bass and live drums, with a softly striking vocal, and a conceptual weight and sadness that’s almost unbearable, the mighty myqo returns this season, with the broken and beautiful before me.
Featuring Kevin Wright, the lead singer of Singaporean band Girls Like Mystery, alongside instrumental prowess from Joel Gan and Benjamin Hwang (the latter also on production, from Avalea Soundworks), before me contrasts a hopeful mellow rock arrangement, with decidedly simply yet melancholic lyrics.
That juxtaposition is enchanting from the outset, these tired, raspy indie vocals, and the poignancy of these reflective, relatable lines – ‘I never knew, you’d go before me’ – it makes for a heart-breaking listen, and one that increasingly pulls the listener down deeper into its evocative, strangely comforting abyss.
Stylistically influenced by Slowdive, the haunting sense of solitude and loss at the heart of before me is unignorable. The simple chord pattern and vocal drone allure with ease, before the performance reaches a piercingly passionate crescendo during its final third. All the while, the darkness and longing of the lyrics is provocative, compelling, and quite additive, as it profoundly calls out on behalf of the unshakable pain of losing someone who meant the world to you.
Find myqo on Instagram.
