Music premiere alert! Barrie Rose’s haunting ‘1 plus 1’ is a perfectly cathartic breakup song
We’re entering peak season of relentlessly cheerful music, but if it’s overwhelming you, take a listen to “1 plus 1,” the HelloGiggles exclusive latest release from Los Angeles-based artist Barrie Rose. A subtle crescendo through feelings and moods, “1 plus 1” is an unconventional take on a tale as old as time: Romantic love fizzling and fading out.
Love is one of the most common topics of exploration in pop music, but the narratives tend to skew two ways: “I will always love you forever” and “You broke my heart and now I’m dying” (which is also the name of my friend’s excellent playlist). “1 plus 1” posits a different idea: “Even if we never speak, I’ll always have your back,” Rose whisper-sings, and the rest of the song forms around that idea in a bubble of quiet conspiracy — until it bursts, and the song blooms into release.
As Rose herself puts it, “‘1 plus 1’ is a song about how you can have a romantic love for someone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be together forever. It is an account of a necessary breakup where you still love and support the other person from afar, though the committed relationship no longer works.” It’s a situation that most of us have gone through, and “1 plus 1” nails the sensation of looking at someone, wordlessly exchanging a lived history, and then moving past it for the better.
Listen to “1 plus 1” below, and check out more of Barrie Rose’s music on Soundcloud.
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Image courtesy of Neema Sadeghi/Danger Village.