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Photo By: Frances Carter

There's an optimism about Foley's music that's marked their chart-topping success lately. The New Zealand based duo, made up of Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett, have become known for their effervescent sound, gracing multiple Spotify playlist covers throughout 2020 and carrying their signature upbeat indie pop sound into the new year.

Every once in a while, however, Foley dives into the midst of the not-so-existential crises that seem to plague them alongside the many other 20-somethings making up their global audience. Pitting the idea of prospective love against the sobering reality of an actual relationship, "Better Than Love" pokes beneath the surface at the fears that blossom from a place of mistrust and uncertainty.  

"When you have been hurt in the past you get into the mindset that nothing can be as good as it seems. I felt at one point like I shouldn't try anymore because the way I built love up in my head could never be reached in reality. Self-sabotage is really powerful, and you end up manifesting disappointment instead of hoping for something great."  - Ash Wallace, Foley

Foley's openness with one another becomes apparent in the earnest confessions that mark "Better Than Love," with Ash leaning "heavy on the dreaming lately," and proposing "we could just tread some water," to avoid difficult conversations. Such a suggestion illustrates the mild panic of the situation, floating by on our own efforts yet subconsciously aware that at some point our legs will tire and sinking is inevitable.

Of the songs on the Vacation EP, due out next month, "Better Than Love" is the most mellow, serving as the palette cleanser in a multi course meal designed to reintroduce the idea of carefree partying. It's a refreshing sip of water that awakens you to your own dehydration after multiple rounds of sugary drinks all night.

While the rest of the EP has a dance heavy groove, "Better Than Love" actually parallels the jarring global reality wherein the majority of parties have been confined to our bedrooms where we dance in front of a ring light and a camera. Choosing to exist in a dreamy in-between, a gray area devoid of any definitive labels, the song also mimics the increasingly common anxiety of not knowing what to anticipate next. But while it may be more entertaining to live in an imaginative world untethered to reality, "Better Than Love" serves as a gentle reminder that the raw emotions that bubble up as we confess our fears and hurts actually tear down the walls we build inside our minds.