"a soulful vocal performance buoyed by a bobbing bassline"
Some tracks take time to build, while others grab you from the start and take you for a ride. “Don’t Come Back” by Lava La Rue is certainly the latter. Within the first few seconds, the bassline and guitar melody converse with one another, with the effortless bounce and dark tone of the bass accentuated by the nautical guitars. Appreciate the bassline here, as it is a real feat to write one that stays energized throughout a track.
The vocal performance is excellent, and the lyrics are narrative and emotional. There are some nice harmonizations and vocal layers that bring out the mood and develop the story.
I appreciate the restraint in not throwing down a distorted guitar solo in the outro of the track, and instead relying on a tasteful, retro inspired synth solo to take us just about to the end. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a take out there somewhere, and I would not mind hearing it - maybe i’ll have to hope to catch this live some time.
The track’s artwork is excellent as well, with a striking depiction of heartbreak, which despite being a common theme, comes across as strikingly fresh, maybe due to the stylized fonts and nighttime neon city color palette.
Wonderful, wonderful track.