It isn’t quite unrequited love, but rather unfulfilled love that is the central theme to Melbourne three-piece Howlite’s brooding and melancholic new single ‘Gothic Romance’, a song that bathes you in its warm, enveloping tones whilst ever so gently breaking your heart.
Originally conceived as a short B-side, Howlite vocalist Alison Thom tells Music Feeds the song is about “when a relationship becomes something that you’re in for security or because you feel like you’re supposed to be, even though neither one of you really wants to be there anymore.”
“I think for a lot of people there’s still a strange sense that we’re validated or completed and given purpose only through our ability to be loved, and so we settle with someone and choose being internally unhappy so that we look happy and fulfilled to others.”
What makes the song so striking is its simplicity, the sparse guitars and subtle percussion allowing space for the heartbreaking lyrics to resonate. “Because the structure is so simple it was quite difficult to resist layering hundreds of harmonies and guitars everywhere,” explains Thom. “For me, it’s important for sad songs to sound beautiful or uplifting, it’s my way of making something good out of something that has caused me pain.”
Howlite will launch ‘Gothic Romance’ at The Workers Club on June 25th, with support from Yule and The Royal Parks.
