Known for his enchanting falsetto and soft indie pop sound, bixby cultivates a warm sound in his newest single “darling, he lied,” in collaboration with starfall.
The Orange County-based singer-songwriter and producer saw the production of the song as a tentative journey before calling on collaborators. The song’s trajectory saw collaboration with a number of notable creatives, followed by months of layers in its production before being solidified in a matter of hours:
“the song came together piece by piece. Months after Zac Greer played the guitar during a session, I randomly showed the loop to Joshwa, who then made the beat around it. After a couple of drafts, the song was partially complete, leaving only an empty verse. A month later, not knowing how to complete the song, I asked starfall on a whim for a verse and we finished it that same day.”
Despite its lengthy production, “darling, he lied,”’s product seems worth the wait. The artists pen stunning lyrics, stringing metaphors and conversational lines interrogating a memory of a partner for their carelessness, wrestling with the bittersweet nostalgia. With lyrics like, “a sorry for why you went there tonight / Well what’s on your mind?” the singer negotiates with their partner to understand their behavior. The song sets itself up as a wonderment, perhaps less in conversation and more as an afterthought muttered under the breath. bixby tosses up his pride to conserve peace: “Show off my face a little less / So you could steal the sky / I throw up another cigarette / Another strange addiction I’ll survive.”
starfall takes the following verse to weigh his commitment in lines like, “I could’ve tried to fix you,” and “seem to care / I can’t ring up.” There is a dwelling on the idea that this partner was unreceptive to a similar commitment and was difficult to manage. Nevertheless, starfall sighs in, “I’m just tired of missing you.”
The song matches tones similar to Keshi and Novo Amor, relying on mesmerizing vibrato and seamless falsetto over a lo-fi beat and soft guitar strumming. Its romantic comfort drawn out by the sonic atmosphere contrasts the disappointing semantics of the story displayed in the lyrics.
If this single is not enough, catch bixby on his first headlining North American “desire” tour this November, and starfall’s support for Keshi’s tour this fall!
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