Ella Galvin – ‘Spare Me’ (2024)
Soul artist Ella Galvin conjures a whimsical world of conflicting emotion, shifting harmonies, and subtle textures on her new single ‘Spare Me’ which was released to support her upcoming EP. Galvin’s two prior singles from 2022 and 2023 explore the genre from within the expected sounds of guitar and keyboards, but ‘Spare Me’ very much challenges your expectations.
‘Spare Me’ opens quietly with a chord progression outlined on piano. Then what sounds like a baritone ukulele takes over the rhythm shifting the feel of the song from pensive to dreamy. As the song progresses, synths, acoustic guitars, and percussion fill the background while what might be a tack piano is juxtaposed with a regular piano.
All the elements of the song maintain a subtle balance throughout, including the dynamic changes and her vocal embellishments. ‘Spare Me’ swells into the chorus but never loses the subtle textures it’s built on. Similarly, Galvin’s vocal embellishments never overwhelm the melody (something modern soul singers often seem incapable of doing). The song’s progression is a back-and-forth interplay of major and minor chords, which supports the conflicting emotions expressed in her confessional-style lyrics. The way she voices the chords and her shifting vocal harmonies keep you guessing how this song will end (much like her ruminations over the troubled relationship she describes). And when the song ends in the same simple, quiet way in which it began, it hits hard.
Galvin says of the song: “I wrote this song in one sitting and never changed anything about it. It feels like the most genuine song I’ve ever written. It’s a sad and bittersweet song about loving someone who is emotionally unavailable, letting myself have feelings for someone and then thinking ‘Was it worth it? Would it have been better to have never loved to spare myself the inconvenience?’ But, it’s also ultimately about realising that you don’t have to ‘Spare Me.'”
For more from Ella Galvin, check out her official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
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