FLETCHER's 'you ruined new york city for me' Is the Perfect Soundtrack to Heartbreak
Photo: Joe Perri
Where would music be without love and heartbreak? Without it, we would not have Tame Impala's Currents, Ariana Grande's thank u, next, Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago, and a host of countless seminal works created from wearing one's heart on their sleeve. It is the same creative emotional wellspring FLETCHER draws from in her debut EP.
you ruined new york city for me arrives as not an off-brand LCD Soundsystem cover but a collection of heart-wrenching recollections of love, heartbreak, and lingering regrets from one of pop's most exciting new voices. Chances are you may already be readily familiar with FLETCHER and her radio hit "Undrunk," which saw the New Jersey native transforming a series of drunken regrets into a veritable post-breakup anthem. And while similar anthemic moments of catharsis abound in FLETCHER's debut EP, there is a greater range of emotional depth and sonics to be found in her lovelorn musings.
"If You're Gonna Lie" sets the stage for the emotional journey to follow, and fittingly enough, it does not open on the adrenaline-pumping feats of production that will likely make tracks like "About You" and "Strangers" quick fan favorites. Rather, it opts for a subtler introduction to a heart in the midst of breaking, as FLETCHER saunters into the score of a far-off reverberant guitar that could just as easily soundtrack a classic Western.
It is an unlikely choice but one that gives a sonic framework for FLETCHER to show off a voice that even in a void is capable of whisking up vibrant imagery of throwing back tequila shots during last call. FLETCHER spoke on you ruined new york city for me,
"I wore my heart on my sleeve with this project. It's been important for me to show myself and others that it is okay to be both vulnerable and aggressive at the same time. It means we're human beings. Everyone remembers their first love, for better or for worse. I just decided to write about mine...in a very TMI kind of way."
FLETCHER's debut EP is a deeply human one; it is the story of a woman embracing past moments of love and heartbreak with an awe-inspiring vulnerability and power. And with a collection of songs of this caliber, we may just start to feel bad for this unnamed ex, as chances are they will be hearing FLETCHER's voice emanating from everywhere for some time to come.
Listen to you ruined new york city for me below:
