Having made their C2C debut at the weekend completing a trio of festivals that we have seen Gasoline & Matches at as both spectators and performers, it is time to strike while the iron is hot with a brand new single "Could've Been a Love Song".
Co written with #TEAMw21 favourite, songstress supremo Jenn Bostic, this song actually dates back to 2017, the references to a solar eclipse being prevalent at the time, the incumbent president even choosing to stare at the sun directly if memory serves us well.
Sound wise this seems a little different to anything Gasoline & Matches have released before, it seems to be imagined on a bigger scale and has them painting on a much larger canvas.
From the opening waling pedal steel guitar supplied by Sarah Jory, there is a sense of patience from the band.
The opening verse is delivered seemingly over the 3 notes repeated, very minimalistic instrumentation
"You’re like a shooting star.
Burn bright, burn out before you get too far.
I’m not sure you even know who you really are.
I didn’t see it coming, adrenaline was running, then it all went dark."
Sally Rea seems to be referring to a relationship that for whatever reason never really ignited into something further.
It is the chorus where the song explodes into life
The words initially reflect the sense of anticipation of something potentially about to happen, even if by the third line there's a hint of resignation that all may not be going well - the overriding feeling being that it was better to have tried than to have done nothing at all.
"Shotgun on a rollercoaster climbing up towards the high
My heart’s in the right place, at the wrong time.
I’d rather feel something than not feel anything at all.
You think you know the words, you’re singing them wrong.
This could’ve been a love song."
Musically there is an explosion of drums and guitars, and the chorus closes with a plaintive cry from Sally Rea Morris reflecting on what might have been.
The second verse is a much more dispassionate dissection of what has come to pass
"Like acid on my tongue.
Bittersweet taste you left even after you’re gone.
No rhythm, no rhyme, no trust, no reason to find.
You’ve made your bed, I slept in it, I just closed my eyes."
The choruses become ever rockier, the final one being split in half, the first half Sally Rea ot the fore against a minimal backing the second half a pure rocking tune with everything thrown at it.
Whether this is your first taste of Gasoline & Matches following C2C or the latest in a long acquaintance there is much to be admired in this latest single.