Cursive Youth – I’m Gonna Pretend That I’m Not Sad You’re Leaving (2024)
The younger brother of Snow Patrol and best friend of Biffy Clyro, duo Cursive Youth might be a minnow in the musical shark pool, but they have class. Fresh-faced with big grins, the Welsh pair win your heart with their youthful innocence – or are they really all that innocent? Join us as we dive into their debut single ‘I’m Gonna Pretend That I’m Not Sad You’re Leaving’.
Facing modern-day life in all its joy and sorrow, Cursive Youth explores one of the more complex issues – relationships. Chances are most of us have been in the situation of love and loss at some point. The fantastic, blissful exuberance of being in love with the desperate mire of loss peeking around the corner. In ‘I’m Gonna Pretend That I’m Not Sad You’re Leaving’, the Welsh duo captures just that sentiment – pretending you’re not sad when gritty loss overcomes powerful love.
‘I’m Gonna Pretend That I’m Not Sad’ is an ode to bittersweet endings. It finds the line between wanting to cry into your hands when losing a beloved (not death or anything, just a break-up) and taking that big sigh of relief that the thing’s over. Lyrically, Cursive Youth capture each thought and emotion with poetic flair; it’s like reading a diary entry or watching that romance film that makes you cry but can’t stop watching. For me, it is the conversation mid-way through that makes the song weightier, more realistic, somewhat more relatable and you think, “No don’t do that!”.
Lyrically, ‘I’m Gonna Pretend That I’m Not Sad You’re Leaving’ tugs at your heart but the melody is as soul-stirring. A concoction of powerful drums, soaring guitars and synths shimmering across the tune, the single is an obscure oscillation between heaviness and light-hearted sincerity. Cursive Youth may be a new band, but they are not to be ignored. My one worry is that they might have peaked with ‘I’m Gonna Pretend That I’m Not Sad You’re Leaving’; only time will tell.
Find out more about Cursive Youth on their Instagram and Spotify.
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