After seven years of almost complete silence, Gary Lightbody and the band Snow Patrol has finally come back with lyrics to empower the listener. I can only imagine what my neighbors must have thought if they heard me squealing out of excitement when I heard the first single, one that I wondered if it would ever occur.
Many nights in my teenage years, I would lay on my bedroom floors, close my eyes, and listen to Lightbody's soothing voice. The lyrics and notes could make the listener feel, even if they had been lost in numbness. I could always relate to the content, maybe because I saw the world in a similar way as the band, or maybe just because I have the same dating luck as Lightbody—humorously bad.
The new single, the first from their album expected to come out in late May, opens with, "Don't give in / Don't you dare quit so easy / Give all that you got on the soul / Don't say that you want it forever/ I know, I know." As someone who has faced many hard emotions in the past half a year, the song lit up a part of my mind immediately. It felt like it was calling out to me, telling me that I needed to keep battling my hardships as long as possible. Of course, I'm not silly and understand that the song is not really created to spark that emotion in me alone, but it was what I needed to hear.
The lyrics remind me of a repeated lesson from past songs of theirs, like "This Isn't Everything You Are." Somehow though, even though both songs have the same focus of needing to push on, they are completely unique from each other. The new single is modern, the voices are manipulated in a different way than they ever were on past tracks. The song is beautifully haunting, something created to comfort the broken in their harshest moments.
The release date is written on my calendar, and I am thankful that it really is only a few months away. I do not believe I could handle waiting much longer than that. The band missed my teen years, having faded away just as I turned 13, but I can't wait to have their songs on my playlists during my twenties. A break may have occurred, but they did continue to thrill my heart whenever I heard their songs.
I am excited to see what comes in the near future. I look forward to examining the lyrics, so I can understand what has happened since Snow Patrol's story let off.
"It's in your blood / And it's in your making / So don't hold your tongue / 'Cause it's, it's no longer working / Don't fall on your sword / Just follow your instinct / Like an old lesson learned," Lightbody included, continuing to sing to my soul, hidden securely behind my walls.
