Jared Braden A healthy obsession with pop music!
It’s a rare occurrence to feel an emotional connection to a song almost immediately, but that is exactly what happened when I heard “Background” by Seattle indie-pop trio Barcelona for the first time tonight. The song, which is taken from the EP Love Me, perfectly captures all the emotions that come with working through the pain from a love betrayed.
To accompany lead singer Brian Fennell’s impassioned vocal performance, the synth-heavy production for “Background” is wonderfully constructed around the lyrical content. The song is nothing short of a chill inducing three minutes and 45 seconds of pure aural bliss. There’s a painful believability to Fennell rationally delivering “I’m not your first, you’re not my last. And though it hurts, I know that it will pass” in one breath before the raw pain hastily returns to the surface in the next line: “When he touched you, in the background, It broke me, I broke down. I didn’t know love could hurt this way.” It’s this emotional tension that elevates “Background” to something very special.
“Background” puts into song a feeling that we all can relate to. Loneliness affects everyone, and there is nothing quite like the emotional pain that comes with the betrayal of someone who you’ve given your unfaltering love to. “Background” is not only one of those rare songs that somehow manages to connect with me on a deeper level, it’s a perfect example of why I fall in love with music over and over again. Although it is only January, I can venture a guess that “Background” will be a serious contender for the number one spot on my end-of-the year list. Barcelona’s Love Me EP is out right now on iTunes.
