New Music: le:la – don’t say it

Austrian singer-songwriter le:la has a voice reminiscent of Sevda Alizadeh and Gracie Abrams, but don’t say it transports you somewhere very different from those artists.

The story of don’t say it is a familiar one: a relationship has begun to decay, but that deterioration of love is not perceived equally. Told from the viewpoint of the person who is not ready to call it a day and is not willing to let love go, le:la reaches back further for the emotional DNA of the song.

Her voice and her quietly passionate phrasing of the intimate and at times distraught lyrics could easily be drawn from the annals of Piaf, Brel, or Brassens. Witty, wordy, and devastating, don’t say it balances those classic antecedents with an arrangement tightly woven pop that has an air of resignation and denial about it.

Trip-hop infused dream pop for when the dream is over, but memories and hope still linger on, you’ll need this song in your life, especially for those moments where you’re hurting, but you know you just need to carry on. But be warned; as the song fades out with the refrain ‘Why do you keep hurting me?’ skewering your heart, have some tissues and chocolate handy before losing yourself in the lyrics.

It’s out now via the Vienna-based indie label and studio Feber Wolle and can also be heard on Spotify and YouTube Music. Be sure to connect with LeLa on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest artist updates.