An enjoyably expanding track, moving from understated guitar and heartrending cello to serene harmonic layers and rhythmic allure, “HOW IT USED TO BE” comes via Matthew Steven Whitaker. The lead single from his debut album, WHAT DID I EXPECT?, “HOW IT USED TO BE” was tracked and produced at Pink Moon Sound by Will Reagan.
The duet-ing lead emergences combine aptly as the retrospective deterioration of a breakup seems conveyed, lyrically. “I stared blankly at the ceiling fan, wishing that everything could be just how it was when we first met,” the delivery laments, watching a shared life dissolve into staring blankly at TV screens and unreturned affection. The perspective of how “I couldn’t find the words to say” is particularly memorable as soft rhythms inject and the backing harmonies shift between harmonious, wordless appeal and lyrical reflections. “HOW IT USED TO BE” is a wholly memorable output from Matthew Steven Whitaker.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
