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Some songs come out polished and loud, while others come out just because they have to. "Can't Imagine," Salem Roberts's new single, fits solidly into the second category. It's an indie rock song with a catchy hook, inspired by a time when love and fear were inseparable.
The song is about Roberts's partner Meredith's Guillain-Barré diagnosis and follows a very personal emotional path. What started as a quiet, private offering to help deal with sudden illness, paralysis, and the long road to recovery has turned into a movie about devotion under pressure. "Can't Imagine" captures that moment when the future is uncertain, and love becomes a conscious choice every day.
The song moves with purpose musically. It begins with a soft, intimate sound that makes you feel and think fragile before becoming much stronger. That change is like the song's emotional journey: fear turns into determination, and weakness turns into strength. The hooks don't take away from the message, they make it stronger, making the story feel real and immediate rather than distant or abstract.
Roberts's approach here is obvious. "Can't Imagine" doesn't dramatize the experience, instead, it finds its strength in restraint and honesty, honoring the fragile clarity that comes when loss becomes real. It's a song about holding on, not because you have to, but because you want to.
The dance video that accompanies it, choreographed and performed by Lorenzo Guerrini, takes that emotional tension into the real world. It shows the push and pull between giving up and being strong, being afraid and being devoted, through movement. This gives the song a visual counterpart that feels just intentional. Salem Roberts turns one of life's most difficult times into a powerful indie rock song with "Can't Imagine." The song reminds us that love can keep us steady when nothing else seems inevitable.