Unrequited love, or at the very least attraction, is something that we’re all familiar with. A painful longing, a pining even, that rarely, if ever, works out in our favour. And though no-one could say that troubles of the heart are any fun, there’s no way they could argue about the quality of the music they give birth to.
‘Waiting’ is no exception. The third single from London/Leeds based singer/songwriter LUKA, it’s four minutes of lilting folk-pop that waltzes its way towards an optimistic and surprisingly cathartic conclusion.
Gently mounting across its runtime, it’s a steady and gentle progression. One bolstered by the subtle introduction of its understated percussion and picked guitars. The highlight here however is LUKA’s voice. Airy and ephemeral at first, they strengthen as the track progresses, bolstered in turn by its narrative of finding peace in realising you’ve spent too long focusing on one person.
Anyone familiar with any of LUKA’s previous singles, ‘Past the Point of No Return’ or ‘Plaything’ for instance, will find a lot to love here. But they might also be surprised by the sheer quality in the track’s production. Dig a little deeper into her back catalogue to the likes of ’End of the World’ or ‘Button Eyes’, and the difference becomes even clearer, and shows just how far LUKA has come as an artist in such a short space of time.
Taken from a larger body of work due later this year, ‘Waiting’ feels like a confident step towards a bright future for Luka, Unrequited love never sounded this good.
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