Dropping Ugly – If It Were Me (2022)
There is nothing quite like unrequited love, but all you can do is move on and look toward the future. With their latest single ‘If It Were Me’, Dropping Ugly delve into this emotion before moving through the process of growing up. A love song wrapped up with folky melancholy and acoustic pop tones, the single is relatable and extremely easy to listen to.
This look at moving on from unrequited love comes from Simon Anderson (guitar, vocals) and Abbey Ballentine (drums). The duo met at a house show which was Anderson’s first gig in a while. Ballentine was the drummer for a different act that was in the process of imploding. Anderson asked if she wanted to join this musical endeavour and they have been going strong for the last 4 years.
The gentle acoustic guitar that picks its way through the opening of ‘If It Were Me’ brings an innocence and youthful feeling to the melody. There is a whispered feeling to the melody that is fragile, making you want everything to continue with the same delicate softness. This fragility brings a powerful feeling to the vocals while drifting through a reflective vibe. The overall feeling of the music is like the tail end of summer, with the last warm rays of sun peeking through the trees before the turn of the season. As the single continues, the music gains an intimate edge that gives you the confidence to share the secrets of the lyrics.
The innocence of the melody is picked up by the vocals as Anderson’s performance carefully lays out emotions and thoughts that he will never let out. Through his performance, you are filled with the emotions of unrequited love and the knowledge that the person you love is moving on without you. This sense of growing up does nothing to eradicate the emotions woven into the performance. There is a touch of melancholy as he considers all the things that could be, but this is tempered by the knowledge that these are just dreams. It is a rather bittersweet single that fills you with the tender touches of young love and the sadness of emotions that are never returned or fully realised.
Dropping Ugly brings a touch of innocence and intimacy to unrequited love and growing up through the tender tones of ‘If It Were Me’. The acoustic guitar that fills the melody creates the tender youthfulness of the single. Anderson’s vocals tug on your emotions while detailing the process of growing up, while these feelings linger.
Find out more about Dropping Ugly on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
