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Photo: Slater Goodson

For those unfamiliar, Bailey Bryan is a collage of feelings, honesty, and sensuality that hangs precariously balanced, a knife's edge of dark pop ritual that commands attention. To those more familiar, her latest single "Tragic" and its monochromatic video accompaniment pivot her self-described “sensitive bad bitch” (also the title of her upcoming project Sensitive Bad Bitch Music Vol.1.) vibes to a leaner, slowed-paced, more nuanced locus.

From her early beginnings as a Nashville writing prodigy seeking to slipstream behind the Swiftie movement that inspired her, the bedroom diary mold was quickly broken into a post-adolescent sound that widened into multi-genre influences, specifically '90s R&B funk, but the sound was always steadied by her very specific pitch-delicious voice. The maturation lead to a very diverse, sultry sound that maintains a healthy tension between vulnerability and raw confidence. 

Bryan’s comfort with songwriting, especially her ability to not overthink the writing process but to let it avalanche from frayed feelings into melodic management is especially evident in "Tragic." The premise is approachable and relatable—the impossible to diagnose but always a serial pattern of self-sabotage in dating. The video directed by Slater Goodson relies entirely on Bryan's undeniable star quality and charisma; its simple setting of a troubled beauty on a bike could be a trope but instead, it’s presented as a raw visage of both her person and songwriting. The result is tragic only in that it is impossible to forget this song, as its minimalist refrain cloaks the listener well after the sound decays, a portable tragedy worth carrying with you. 

Watch the "Tragic" video below: