BE – Oh Helen (2020)
BE left us feeling free and empowered with their debut single ‘They Won’t Listen’. Now they are here with a conversation and a warning in their new release ‘Oh Helen’. While essentially a love song, there is a bit more to the track than meets the eye. Their second release takes a different turn to their first with a more conversational style and a somewhat darker tone.
Shel Cribben (vocals) and Marc Barnacle (multi-instrumentalist) infuse their passion into this song. The ethos of the band can still be heard through the message of the single, but it comes through in a very different way to the soaring freedom of their debut.
‘Oh Helen’ opens with a light guitar line that sets you in a soft place. You can almost imagine sitting in the corner of a coffee shop with a friend. The opening leads to Cribben’s vocals and the lyrics that are both an acknowledgement of attraction and a call to be careful. Her performance is wonderful as it gives you the perspective of someone wanting advice from their friend because they don’t know what to do. You can also hear the conflict in her vocals as she is torn in different directions.
As you are riveted by the conversational vocals, the melody bolsters the emotions of the track. Starting softly, it leads you through the start of the conversation with these lighter notes adding to the whimsical feeling of attraction. When the synths hit, they have this depth to them and become almost tense when there is an acknowledgement of the bad that could potentially come. There is a lot going on in the melody that adds this extra edge to the song.
BE takes you on a conversational journey through love, attraction, friendly advice and pain in ‘Oh Helen’. Showing a slightly darker and more sombre side, the band has created a very different love song. The style and tone of the track make it easy to fall into as the melody sweeps you into a river of emotions.
Find out more about BE on their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
