Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Savannah Pope is back with "Terrible Thing," which epitomizes her dramatic, operatic, and fearlessly raw artistry. Renowned for her powerhouse vocals and vivid storytelling, Pope gives an indie pop release that sounds as much like a personal confession as it does a sweeping cinematic performance. "Terrible Thing" is a meditation on the twin conundrums of love and self-acceptance.
As Pope has said, it is a song about "needing something you have no place to put," an extraordinary dislocation that rings through in the lyrics and sound. Mixed with the influence of her return to Spain, where she rediscovered Flamenco and global influences, rhythmic flares and international textures weave through its production, giving the track a feeling of worldly richness. The single effortlessly traverses genres, shifting seamlessly between poetic indie, art rock, and avant-pop.
Pope's voice, wafting and commanding in equal measure, retains centre stage, calling to mind the theatrical storytellers of Leonard Cohen or even the drama of Muse, while always being her own personal brand. "Terrible Thing" is the kind of song that stays, not only in sound but in sentiment, a moment to which you can return as you continue writing your own stories of love and self-discovery. With an EP on the way, Pope is creating a world where openness is power, allowing music to be both a spectacle and a soul-baring art form. "Terrible Thing" is also an example of how music can mimic the twisted nature of the human heart.
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