Hard life‘s (fka easy life) latest single ‘Othello’ is the band’s boisterous announcement that they’re back following their infamous EasyJet lawsuit. As only the second single released under their new moniker, ‘Othello’ is a synth-driven, bouncy tune that proves their signature sound has hardly changed as they announce their third studio album and first as hard life, Onion.
The track delves into feelings of reliance on a partner and the crippling weight of co-dependency, while maintaining the optimistic vibrancy that hard life fans have grown used to in their production.
The opening of ‘Othello’ is stripped back and starts with subtle electronic guitar strings and Murray Matravers’ airy vocals which accentuate the feeling of relationship suffocation, giving us the chorus straight away: “it’s never black and white, its playing on my mind like Othello / and as we intertwine you make my upper lip shake like Jello / and before I could get my words out, it was nothing but thin air / and before I could check my radar, there was nothing but thin air.”
By referring to the famous Shakespearean character, Othello, in the first line, Murray sets the tone for the track as one riddled with anxiety. The titular character of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello is known for becoming overwhelmed with anxious thoughts about his wife Desdemona and ultimately causing the downfall of their relationship and both of their deaths.
As soon as the first chorus is finished the drums kick in with ferocity, matched immediately with the explosive decision of Murray’s partner in the song saying “see you later alligator” and wearing a “bomber jacket / and a detonator.” This verse is the first of three parts of the process of a break-up, beginning with the partner leaving.
As the regular rhythm of the drums continues towards the chorus, a warped electronic synth enters the track to set up the pre-chorus, where Murray pleads for the woman to “supercharge my electricity before you cut off my supply”.
This plea being delivered in a higher, elongated pitch highlights his desperation to keep a little part of them before they leave before returning to the breathless chorus delivery which sounds as though he’s losing air.
The second verse is the second part of a breakup process where Murray is left to wonder: “when you coming back?” – a question that he’s losing sleep over admitting that he “can’t sleep, count sheep, insomniac.”
Broken by a stuttering “I-I-I-I”, the third verse of ‘Othello’ quickly picks up speed in both the beat and the vocal delivery as the air is running thinner and thinner in the relationship. This third part of the break-up process is the final desperate push to hold onto something from their past with a feeling like they need them back.
The line “need you in my veins, I need you in my veins / all of your haemoglobin / I’m floating” seems to compare the loss of somebody to the withdrawals of drugs, the repetition of the need becoming all the more pertinent in its desperation.
Rounding off the track with a repetition of the chorus and then the pre-chorus truly solidifies the inability to let go of the past relationship as he continues to plead for more as the song fades out.
Almost ten months since hard life’s last single ‘Tears’ was released, ‘Othello’ is a solid return for the band. The track maintains the distinct breezy sound from the band’s easy life days, yet allows for more ambitious and slightly more aggressive production that reflects the new namesake and can be expected on their upcoming album Onion, due to be released on the 18th July.
Words by Aaron Edwards
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