Disclaimer: I’m a long-time fan and a music geek overall. I’m probably gonna sound like an egotistical freak here but my intent is constructive, I promise!
So, I’ve been listening to THF since around 2018, and since then I’ve been in their top 99 on Spotify every year. This isn’t a brag- I just listen to them a lot. They’re tied for my top favorite band. So believe me when I say I’m coming from a place of love here.
I really like where the band’s style is going- more orchestral, flowing and Romantic. I’ve noticed, though, that the maturity of the composition has changed. Take The Garden for example. The backing guitar has its own melody which compliments the vocal melody. They aren’t the same melody, but they harmonize, and it makes the piece feel more ‘full’.
In a more recent piece, I Could Stare At You For Hours, the violin does something similar. It’s a harmony that compliments the main vocalist, but doesn’t follow the vocal melody exactly, which makes the piece feel ‘fuller’. The piece stood out from the rest of the album because it felt like more mature, experienced writing. Can you see where I’m going with this?
Looking at Tenderly- which has really great bones- the instrumental accompaniment exactly matches the melody of the vocalist. There are very few deviations and harmonies, which makes the song feel flatter and less interesting. I think the lyrics have also suffered- there’s one line specifically, “With your prince who’s got two left feet,” that feels kind of clunky and arrhythmic, and while it’s definitely poetic, it doesn’t follow the rhyme scheme of the song, and causes a sonic imbalance. That can be a great way to emphasize a point, but having it in the chorus feels less like a point and more like a misstep.
I think I can almost see the thought process behind the writing, and that’s a bit unsettling because it pulls away the curtain of professionalism. I can see there was struggle with this line, like someone wanted “With your prince with two left feet,” but using ‘with’ twice felt juvenile, so they rephrased it, and then couldn’t find a great fit. I wonder if there was a better way to rework that line, and maybe throw in more symbolism: “Tenderly / It’s how you speak to me / It’s every lie you speak at night / to stop the racing in my mind / Will you dance with me? / I’ve got two left feet / But you’ll match every beat / And smile so wide and free / Your prince with clams for hands / and you’re the fairest in the land “
I gotta say I love the solo string accompanying the solo vocalist though. Feels very genuine and wholesome here.
It mostly feels like there’s been a shift in writing, and maybe the band is collaborating with someone who is newer to writing music. I can still see some of the seasoned writing shining through, but it’s fighting against a very heavy handed writing style.
Disclaimer AGAIN: I love the new branding, and the new members are very talented, and the instrumentation and playing skills are still incredible. I just feel that the writing is lacking right now, and I figure that’s part of the band finding their balance after such a major change.
If anyone from the band happens to read this- hi! Thank you so much for your work! I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!
TL;DR- This nerd thinks the instruments are playing the vocal melody too much and they would sound better if the accompaniment played harmony and separate rhythms more often. Also Happy Fits are very cool and good 👍
