“Longed for Life” is the latest track to come from Birmingham duo’s Paul Ryan and Olivia Thomson – from their album “Eyes of an Enemy” following on from “Worth The Know”.
Now at first listen, I didn’t know what to think, it appeared to have the elements of acoustic, folk, even injections of pop in there, but if I’m completely honest, it’s a slow burner for listening, it took me a couple of listens to connect with it.
But once I did, after listening to the lyrics and hearing the blend of Paul and Olivia’s voices did I realise how great they sound together – they harmonise beautifully and Olivia’s vocals in particular are stunning.
It’s quick to dive in, which is weird, given how soft and soothing the track is, but it kept me guessing – how can something be upbeat but not at the same time? there’s a certain solitude with the lyrics – the generalisation of them describing what’s around them, or what they’re experiencing, they appear simple, but realistically it’s clever how blended together it is.
“A waitress by the day again, a poet when turning dark, a poser all of the time” – is a nice pattern to follow – and once you digest the lyrics, it elevates the track completely.
The harmonising between the two is powerful and packs a decent yet soft punch – and whilst I’m usually a big fan of a three minute song, I actually wish this could have gone on a little bit longer!
I’m not overly keen on the artwork, but only because the rainbow effect across it feels a bit too much, I do think a black and white version of the photo would have been perfect, but if it symbolises something, then that’s fair enough too.
Overall, it took a couple of listens, to be completely honest but it does grow on you, and when it does, you will be attached! It’s left me wanting a little bit more and I think we’ll see more of Paul and Olivia popping up soon if their other tracks harmonize as well as this one does.
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