Sometime, somewhere, One Outta Ten wrote the next best country/indie rock ballad. There’s a feeling to it at the beginning that makes me think of the ending scenes in coming-of-age films. I can picture the main character walking down the road to their house with the credits rolling behind them. As this is happening the camera is getting an aerial shot of the character and they slowly become smaller and smaller until it’s just a view of the sunset, and all goes black as the credits continue to roll. Maybe our character had just finished a crazy day at school filled with shenanigans by bullies, their friends, a crush, etc. and maybe left campus with solid advice from the building’s janitor. When a song has me thinking of visuals like this, I know it’s good. That’s how I personally judge music anyways. Being able to feel all of the senses from a song is a sign of great songwriting in my opinion.
This song also just builds on itself really well. The verses blend with the chorus and the chorus blends with the outro. At some point I didn’t realize that it’s over 6 minutes long because it kept my interest all the way through. Some of the lyrics are also just very honest and vulnerable which is always appreciated: “Maybe you and I can try to spend some time while we’re alive anyway…Nothing’s ever set in stone, I’d rather feel lonely than be alone anyway.” To me, this feels very existential; the idea that life is short and nothing is promised, and ruminating on that. It’s repeated over and over almost like a mantra. Then the lead guitar comes in kicking and the swell in sound makes all of the emotion that much more intense.
Overall, this song is killer. It sounds different compared to the band’s other singles, but it’s refreshing. I’m a big fan of the sound they’re going for and hope they continue this trajectory.
Make sure to check out One Outta Ten's song, "Friends/Anyways" and more everywhere you listen to music!
Stream "Friends/Anyways" on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/52M9q06fmcvIK7T8UyHZ3r?si=_2Vo_UzqTI6GPwMNskXpHg&dd=1
Stream "Friends/Anyways" on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/friends-anyways/1659117131?i=1659117132&ls
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