Lisa SQ's "Make It Up to You" is a sun-soaked indie rock examination of self-sabotage, redemption, and the fragile hope that mistakes can be fixed. The Hamilton-based artist combines elements of art pop and indie rock with a hint of dreamy sophistication, leaving behind a playful, introspective, and well-crafted track.
Recorded live in Toronto's Dwaynespace, it comes alive with Dave Dalrymple's bright guitar riffs and Adam Hindle's brilliant body-percussion loops for a tactile, human feel that can't help but draw you close, while Michael Brushy's thunderous drums propel the song forward, and sparkling autoharp and Nintendo-esque keyboards give each chorus an extra serving of charm.
Producer Ian Docherty's tape treatment lends a cozy, hazy warmth to the recording, adding to the impression of immediacy and emotional openness. Lisa SQ knows precisely how to walk the line between complexity and user-friendliness. Her inspirations from Billie Holiday to David Bowie are palpable in her subtle vocal phrasing and wise melodic choices, but the song is all her own.
"Make It Up to You" is a clinic that transforms private reverie into a collective experience. Lisa SQ shows how something as messy as our most human impulses, self-doubt, regret, or impulsive wrong decisions, can be ennobled by art that is both exuberant and relatable, and strangely satisfying. It's a track that celebrates imperfection and the possibility implicit in trying again, establishing Lisa SQ as an indie artist to watch.
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