Los Angeles native Kacey Fifield is back with “Left Behind”, a wildly relatable track about reaching a turning point in life, growing up, and moving forward. Fifield elaborates further on the inspiration for the song:
“I came up with the idea for this song when I was in the thick of receiving my college decisions. It was the end of the year, all my relationships felt like they were falling apart, and I was terrified of the future. Since ‘nostalgia haunts me’, I felt terrified of living in the past my whole life and getting left behind by those around me.”
The song starts out with a somewhat melancholy acoustic guitar as Fifield describes her fear of regret and the “intrusive thoughts” she’s having. The pre-chorus sees the introduction of a tambourine to make the music sunnier as her voice harmonizes and takes on an echo.
The chorus picks up the pace with a driving drum beat underneath a cushioned soundscape; the guitar and tambourine have disappeared. The music is almost too positive for the dark lyrics, a purposeful contrast. As she sings “don’t wanna get left behind”, we enter a musical breakdown driven by drums and electronic elements overlaid by repetition of these important lyrics.
The musical soundscape of the second verse is different from the first, featuring a thoughtful keyboard and subtle drums. The vocal delivery has gained some speed, adding urgency to the message.
After the following chorus, we get the solemn lyrics of the bridge over the musical breakdown. Fifield’s vocals shine over a subtle background as we transition into a stripped-down version of the chorus before the last breakdown explodes in. The song starts to muffle and fade out, and the last words we hear are “don’t wanna get left” before it completely cuts off.
This track addresses a theme that listeners will be all too familiar with: fear of a big change looming ahead and moving forward anyway. While the lyrics address these common anxieties, the music is sunny and upbeat, a contrast Fifield uses to represent the “catharsis of finally letting go” of these fears.
Fifield’s EP Nostalgia Haunts Me is also out today, featuring other recent singles like Never Reply, so be sure to check it out.
