SINGLE REVIEW - LOUISE PARKER - TWO SIDES | YOU WERE RIGHT

A couple of singles from Louise Parker's forthcoming Pretty In Pink EP due in October, which both have great lyrical intensity and are incredibly rich musically.

The current single "Two Sides" for the first minute or so holds the attention with just 2 guitars, one playing the main refrain, while the other adds embellishments - it is so simple yet so effective in grabbing the listeners attention. So hypnotic is the sound that you barely notice that nearly thirty seconds pass before Louise even appears.

Much like eye witnesses at a crime can all describe different perpetrators, we find Louise pondering over a breakup where there are varying versions as to what happened with the truth a blur somewhere in between

"What did you tell your friends and mine?

Was it the truth and did you cry?

I'm confused, torn in two and I don't know where to start

Were you telling it was my idea?

Or we'd agreed it's for the best

No fighting for my breath through tears

When parted ways as friends"

The melody changes and rises as Louise seeks to incorporate the maximum amount of words

"Not all hearts break the same, I remember your name, until the day I die

Will you say we grew apart or had a change of heart and I don't know why

Because to every story - there's two sides"

The sound continues the same for the opening line of the second verse, and only on the second line does the full band kick in. There is nothing wrong with that per se, there is a magnificent organ sound on the track and the rising volume matches Louise's frustrations being expressed in that second verse but if feels like a little of the magic disappears. Fortunately Louise has helpfully also put out a fully acoustic version so you can compare, contrast and see which one you prefer although that acoustic one replaces the wonderful guitar, with an equally appealing piano and organ version!

"Or will you tell them that you broke my heart?

When you changed your mind

Or how you broke the news out of the blue

After months of lies"

There is a real sense of injustice filtering through, that perhaps people are being told a totally different narrative to the one Louise believes to be the truth. Musically the organ and additional vocals on the chorus are a definite plus of the full band version however the heavy guitar solo seems a step too far and about twenty seconds too long, as the band shift the song to a more rocking mode to incorporate it.

The bridge sees a shift in Louise's vocal sound, and this soulful approach matched to the keyboard sound make for a powerful combination, getting across the state of confusion post break up.

"I'm pretty good at forcing a smile

Put on a show and meanwhile

I'm still in love and I don't know how we got here

I lay awake half the night

And then spend my days trying not to cry

Because I miss you and I don't know where I go from here"

There's a slightly overblown finale which probably works better in a live environment before Louise leaves us with a final "Or will you tell them that you broke my heart?"

Play both versions for sure.

Preceding "Two Sides" was "You Were Right" which is a glorious musical combination of keyboards and strings matched to clever writing and sassy delivery.

It is undoubtedly an unburdening of emotions, a stream of consciousness brought on by the ultimate betrayal. We're reminded of Nick Lowe's great lyric

"All men are liars

Their words ain't worth no more

Than worn out pliers"

Louise replays things that have been said, or compares how differently the relationship was perceived by either party. There's a sense of disbelief and disgust in the lyrics delivered, with something of a snarl at times on the alternate lines where Louise is providing the response to the previous line

"You said we had changed

Funny how fast you outgrew my heart

I was planning forever,

You were just planning your exit path

I had dreams with your name in bold

You had secrets you never told

Now she's wearing your hoodie

And calling you Babe

While I'm screaming into my pillow case

You blamed it on time said we weren't aligned

But you lined up with her right after goodbye"

The chorus is cleverly constructed with the first and last lines neatly linked, while the contents within reveal a relationship in disarray.

"You said we wanted different things

That you had me believing

In love and diamond rings

I wanted you and you wanted her

I was building Rome and you were watching it burn

Now the truth has come to light

I guess that you were right!"

The end of the chorus briefly takes us back to the sound of the magnificent intro

"You said there was no-one else - cool eyes

Do you ever get dizzy from how quick you slide?

You told me I'd thank you one day for the hurt and the heartbreak

But I'm not thankful"

The second chorus sees Louise have a male vocal tracking her, boosting the overall sound, it sees Louise switch out the word "love" for "kids" just to really nail down her longer term visions of where things were going.

"You wanted space then filled it in seconds

Said that I was too much

But she's passed all your checklists

You called me intense by actually caring

While you wrote her name

In the margin of our ending

The final chorus is over a gentle piano backing and unable to hold it in any longer it sees Louise slip in a quick expletive before the band once more kick in.

Like the earlier single there is quite the elongated coda, but you'll never tire of hearing the piano refrain, along with another rocking guitar solo, this one fitting in perfectly, over which Louise adds additional vocals that top things off perfectly.

The lies - the pain - time and time again

2 songs, 3 versions - each a good listen.