Philly-born, LA-based producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist No Love For The Middle Child’s new project makes an indelible impression with his first single, “Broken Wings.”
“Broken Wings” feels like a striking snapshot so vivid it’s unnerving. No Love himself draws the picture, an angel hunched over a park bench, cigarette in hand, stuck between boredom and business as usual in heaven. Their wings, once representing purity, are rotted and burdened by a persistent rain cloud. It’s a poetic metaphor for the restless churn of modern living, in which, as even our greatest triumphs are celebrated, we immediately turn to straining for what comes next.
The tension between the two is evident in the song itself, a pulsing beat swathed in emotive textures and streaked with melodic flourishes that capture both the beauty and the burden of searching. It is the kind of song that works with equal aplomb on headphones and in the marrow, Introverted and anthemic all at once. No Love’s production and songwriting meld into something personal yet transcendental, providing listeners with a reflection and an escape.
“Broken Wings” is a meditation on discontent, on the human orientation to run past satisfaction and toward Greatness. In many ways, the first half was about the question. If we can’t be happy and let the ride happen, what’s the point in any of this? No Love said.
With this initial peek into his next phase, No Love For The Middle Child isn’t just giving a song, he’s providing an entire world. One in which angels occupy park benches, and we’re invited to remember that perhaps the actual work is learning how to be still, breathe through our bodies, and allow ourselves peace.