Chris Wills and Revenge Wife chase love beyond the body on “Love Live On,” a spellbinding duet from Wills’ debut solo album ‘I’m Sorry, Congratulations’ that floods folk-pop intimacy with cosmic longing and real-life chemistry, arriving as a radiant testament to devotion’s afterlife.

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Stream: “Love Live On” – Chris Wills ft. Revenge Wife

It’s about the spirit connection to music, it’s about love energy existing forever, and it’s about parallel universes whispering to us across the waves.

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Love becomes myth when it outlives the body – when it slips past time, memory, and the borders of one lifetime in search of the person it still knows by heart.

Chris Wills’ spellbinding “Love Live On,” a dreamy duet with real-life wife Elizabeth Nistico of Revenge Wife, imagines that devotion as a signal sent across water and reincarnation: Two souls reaching for each other through melody, separated by existence but bound by feeling. Carried by a hypnotic pulse, glistening guitars, and the real-life intimacy between the artists, the song treats love as a force that keeps finding its way back.

At once earthly and otherworldly, “Love Live On” is a testament to love’s afterlife – the belief that our deepest bonds echo forward until they’re heard again.

Red horizon
A setting sun
I ride the tides
As I’ve always done
Now I can’t be here on my own

But what’s it mean?
Another life that’s gone
Who are you now?
New fingers through your hair
I shouldn’t be here on my own

Originally released in mid-May and now featured on Wills’ independently released debut solo album I’m Sorry, Congratulations (independently out now), “Love Live On” feels tender, enchanted, and achingly eternal – a folk-pop vision of love as spirit, sound, and fate. Produced by Steven Colyer, whose credits include Ethel Cain, the song casts Wills and Nistico as romantic counterparts in a world of their own making, wrapping classic duet drama in a lush, transportive haze of propulsive rhythm, shimmering guitar, and supernatural feeling. It’s fitting, then, that Nancy Wilson of Heart once considered recording it: “Love Live On” carries the grandeur of a song built for myth, but its heartbeat stays disarmingly human.

For Wills, I’m Sorry, Congratulations marks the arrival of a solo artist intent on making music without gloss, gimmick, or pretense. A New Jersey native who began his working life as a house painter, he brings a craftsman’s care and a seeker’s spirit to songs that trace self-growth, collapse, renewal, and the long work of becoming. Nistico, meanwhile, is a creative force in her own right – known as the lead singer of HOLYCHILD, the artist behind Revenge Wife, and a songwriter, performer, and visual storyteller whose work has long fused sharp pop instincts with feminist bite, spiritual inquiry, and theatrical world-building. Together, they make “Love Live On” feel like a destined meeting of worlds: Two artists, two voices, and one shared signal cutting through the veil.

That shared signal, as Wills tells it, arrived almost by accident – though “Love Live On” sounds too fully transportive to feel random.

Its mythic setting came into focus around a vision of separation, memory, and devotion: Two lovers bound across lives, unable to touch, still searching for one another in sound.

So does love live on
Or have I been wrong
I hope my voice will find its way out to you
And you’ll hear our song like a lifetime gone
You say it’s spirit cause you know that it’s true
Oh yeah you know that it’s true

“In ‘Love Live On,’ we’re two lovers in a specific imagined place: A man suspended in purgatory, drifting on water with no hunger, no wind, horizon in every direction,” Wills tells Atwood Magazine. “The surface of the water returns memories from his past lives, difficult ones, beautiful ones. Somewhere across time, a woman is living on earth. They are in love across lifetimes they cannot share.”

“Where this idea came from and why we were singing about this is most certainly related to a time in our own lives and relationship, but I’d have to really psychoanalyze them to understand the metaphor. It truly feels like one of those lucky ‘lightning in a bottle’ songwriting days. The whole thing started as an accident while I was playing guitar waiting for Liz to finish putting on her makeup, and ended with us in LA, recording with one of my favorite producers, summoning the spirits of Fleetwood Mac and Heart.”

Voice in the water
(Voice in the water)
Spoke to me
(Spoke to you)
I saw your face in eternity
Now I shouldn’t be here on my own

Wills’ purgatorial vision – that mythology of two bound souls reaching across lives – is embedded in the music before anyone opens their mouth.

“Love Live On” begins almost like an incantation: A deep breath in, then intricate acoustic fingerpicking suspended in the air. Two guitars answer each other from opposite sides of the mix, one in each ear, close enough to communicate yet separated by space. Long before Wills sings the first line, the arrangement has already told the story – two presences reaching across distance, aware of each other but unable to share the same place.

Keyboards drift in like mist on the water, widening the song’s atmospheric expanse as Wills steps into the first verse: “Red horizon, a setting sun / I ride the tides as I’ve always done.” His voice carries the ache of someone caught between worlds, searching for meaning in the wake of lives already lost. The setting sun becomes more than scenery; it’s a threshold, the last light before another ending, another crossing, another unanswered question.

Then Revenge Wife enters from the other side of the veil, and the song’s longing becomes bolder, brighter, and all the more intimate. “But what’s it mean? / Another life that’s gone / Who are you now? / New fingers through your hair / I shouldn’t be here on my own,” she sings, pulling the cosmic premise back toward the body: Toward touch, memory, jealousy, and the ache of imagining the person you love continuing somewhere beyond your reach.

When their voices meet in the chorus, “Love Live On” takes on a warm, smoldering hue – no longer these lonely souls calling into the void, but two voices finding each other inside it. “So does love live on, or have I been wrong?” they sing, turning the title into a prayer, a doubt, and a dare. The question lands with aching simplicity: If love can survive death, distance, and time, then perhaps a voice can become a vessel for it. Perhaps a melody can carry what the body cannot. “I hope my voice will find its way out to you / and you’ll hear our song like a lifetime gone,” they continue, and suddenly the song’s supernatural premise feels painfully human – two people trying to believe that what they feel is strong enough to reach beyond the world they know.

So does love live on
Or have I been wrong
I hope my voice will find its way out to you
And you’ll hear our song like a lifetime gone
You say it’s spirit cause you know that it’s true

For Nistico, this belief sits at the heart of “Love Live On” – not as fantasy, but as a way of understanding music itself.

The song’s question becomes bigger in her hands: What if melody is memory? What if the songs that move through us are messages from lives we can’t remember?

“To me, ‘Love Live On’ is inspired by the concept of Soul Mates and reincarnation, and the idea that a melody I hear in my head could possibly be a lover in a past life singing to me,” she says. “Maybe that’s why my own melodies are so comforting to me, maybe that’s why our own music speaks to us. Ego comes in and makes us think we have ownership, but what if it’s always spirit speaking to us?”

“That’s what the song is about,” she continues. “It’s about the spirit connection to music, it’s about love energy existing forever, and it’s about parallel universes whispering to us across the waves. I’m honored to release a song with Chris, too – he’s such a pure artist and we both have this feeling about songwriting, that we’re vessels. These are the concepts in the song. I think that’s why it feels so sweet.”

But it’s me and you
Maybe I’m the fool
Cause I’ve been waiting for our fate to come through
And does love live on
What have we become
Now we’re the only one’s who know what to do

So does love live on
(I wanna feel like the only one)
Or have I been wrong
So does love live on
Or have I been wrong
I hope my voice will find its way out to you
And you’ll hear our song like a lifetime gone
You say it’s spirit cause you know that it’s true

That sweetness grows wider and more consuming as “Love Live On” unfolds. Across four minutes, Wills and Nistico build their question into an intoxicating, all-consuming reverie – radiant in its melody, resounding in its emotional force, and grounded in a truth we feel as deeply in our bones as we do in our hearts. The song may reach toward reincarnation, parallel universes, and voices carried across lifetimes, but its power comes from the earthly ache beneath it: The fear of losing the one person who feels eternal to you, and the hope that no ending can truly erase what love has made real.

That’s why the chorus hits with such cathartic force. It’s catchy enough to lodge itself in your head after one listen, but it lingers because it feels honest – because “But it’s me and you / maybe I’m the fool / ’cause I’ve been waiting for our fate to come through” captures the vulnerable madness of believing in a bond beyond proof. “Love Live On” is mystical and mythical, yes, but more than anything, it’s relatable and true: A song from the heart, of the heart, and for anyone who has ever needed to believe that love leaves an echo.

The search for meaning runs through the wider world of I’m Sorry, Congratulations, an album born from rupture, reckoning, and reemergence.

“Love Live On” may drift through purgatory, but Wills sees that suspended state as part of the album’s larger story: A portrait of a person caught between who they were and who they’re becoming.

“Things happened that shattered my world view and sense of self,” Wills explains. “I was depressed for years but it also brought me closer to the truth. It feels like I’ve died and come back as someone else. I’m still learning about this person, sometimes I miss the way I used to see the world, but this album is about that transitional period. Hence the title, ‘I’m Sorry, Congratulations.’ Being stuck in this purgatory was part of the journey.”

That journey sounds alive with contradiction. I’m Sorry, Congratulations is a slice of Wills’ humanity – part rock, part folk, with flecks of funk, psychedelia, soul, and other flashes of color folded into its corners. The sprightly, rousing opener “Ready to Go” lifts itself and listeners toward invigorating spiritual release, while the harmonica-laden “This Place Ain’t for Me” leans deep into folk-soaked restlessness. “Waiting on a Sunny Day (Take Me Back to New York)” bursts open as a horn-heavy, light-filled soul-pop groove, and “Know My Name” arrives like a cinematic ’80s indie rock fever dream – a song destined to be blasted while shooting down the I-95 corridor with the windows down.

For all its musical range, this record never feels scattered. It’s held together by Wills’ voice, his instinct for melody, and an almost stubborn devotion to the human spirit – to art as calling, craft, confession, and connection. On release day, Wills put that devotion into words, reflecting on the mystery of why he keeps writing songs in the first place:

“Sometimes I wrestle with the idea of why I write songs. I generally don’t sit down and try to write them. I’ve been hearing songs in my head and in my dreams on my way through this tiny life of mine ever since about the 6th grade. In a strange way I feel called to write even though an argument could be made that it’s the most irrational thing to do. Fortunately I don’t subscribe to that argument. And after pondering why I write songs I still don’t have an answer and I don’t think I ever will. But it’s who I am and what I have to offer.

The record sonically was inspired by Perry Como, The Cure, The Temptations, Cake, Journey, Wilco, and too many to name. I wanted to create the songs as I heard them in my head when they came in. So if you value the human spirit, art, and music as a way to connect us to that silent, immoveable force we all have within, then this record’s for you.”

This belief in music as both compass and lifeline gives I’m Sorry, Congratulations its charge: Even when Wills is singing through uncertainty, the songs move with the conviction that art can carry a person from one version of themselves into the next.

It’s an album full of open roads and afterimages, made for anyone who still believes music can point us toward the parts of ourselves we almost lost.

Stream I’m Sorry, Congratulations wherever you listen to music, and dive into our candid conversation with Wills and Nistico below as they open up about “Love Live On,” the accidental spark that brought it to life, the purgatorial state that shaped Wills’ debut album, and the spiritual pull of songwriting as a force bigger than the self.

For a song built around distance, “Love Live On” brings everything impossibly close: Love, memory, spirit, and sound, all moving through the same current. It reminds us that the deepest bonds don’t always disappear when the body does – sometimes, they slip past time, find their melody, and keep reaching until they’re heard again.

But it’s me and you
Maybe I’m the fool
Cause I’ve been waiting
for our fate to come through
And does love live on
What have we become
Now we’re the only ones
who know what to do

Now you’re the only one

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‘I’m Sorry, Congratulations’ – Chris Wills

A CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS WILLS & REVENGE WIFE

Chris Wills: Sometimes I wish people didn’t need to know anything about me. They hear the song and it hits them at the right moment in their lives and helps them on their way. That’s what I’m after. But I would say I aim to be the grass fed and finished, no fake music industry hype, no social media tricks kind of artist. I’m dedicated to my craft and when you listen to my songs or come to my shows you’re participating in a counterculture of sorts.

Chris: Doc Watson, Bach, Keith Richards, Prince, John Prine, Daft Punk, Sufjan Stevens! I’m really excited about how the songs are coming through. They’re happening naturally when I’m eating my lunch or when I’m dreaming at night. There’s no thought into the songwriting which is beautiful. Production sometimes feels more like a fun puzzle or the craft part of the process.

Chris: I was waiting for Liz to finish her make up before going to a party. I was killing time playing guitar like I always do but something hit me, like getting sucked into a vortex. Then I heard this song in my head. Liz then stepped out of the bathroom and started singing the chorus. I got chills. Some days you get lucky!

Liz: I’m so lucky to be featured on the album of Chris Wills!!! That sounds sarcastic but it’s not, he cares so so much about music and the purity of it and he has been so pure about his songwriting process thus far being careful that his songs are his mind, his feeling, straight from him. So to contribute to this anti-AI pure songwriter’s album, you don’t understand what an honor it is!

Chris: Only in hindsight, like a dream, do I realize that from my perspective it’s about being stuck in a metaphorical purgatory. Unable to make a decision, stuck, while life and Liz are moving forward. In the song the two people are separated by lifetimes hoping to communicate to each other through melody.

Liz: Ask me any day how to write a song, and I’ll tell you to connect with yourself. I’m one of those people who believes that the artist is the vessel. That’s me! Receiving! On one hand it definitely keeps an inflated ego at bay (most egotistical thing to say!) because you have to really believe that a melody or idea or creation is spirit speaking through us. To me, the song takes it a step further. What if spirit is directly communicating? Intentionally targeting the artist it wants to hear its message? What if reincarnation is real what if the past is speaking to me right now? What if every parallel version that has ever existed is happening all at once. What if I’m the one in a parallel universe?

Chris: We collaborate on visuals a lot but not songwriting as that seems to be my personal happy place! But like I said, Liz happened to be in the room when I started to play the guitar part. Her singing moved me and we both seemed to be picking up on the same signal, something I didn’t know was entirely possible even though I’ve had a few happy accidental co-writes over the years. I feel lucky that we caught this one!

Liz: Chris and I have collaborated so much over the past 7 years but this is really one of the first times we’ve written a proper song together. We first connected when I was directing his music videos and shooting his artwork. We always have a tension when we’re making things because we both care so much! Music is so important to both of us, so we started collaborating when I was directing, then after a few years we started dating, then after a few years we wrote a song together!

Chris: Incredible, I love that album!

Liz: Thank you so much for covering the album!!!!! It feels so ahead of its time. Funny too, because it mentions wanting people to grow and change and I think I’m even more poignantly on that tip now! Growth! Love reading this.

Chris: Things happened that shattered my world view and sense of self. I was depressed for years but it also brought me closer to the truth. It feels like I’ve died and come back as someone else. I’m still learning about this person, sometimes I miss the way I used to see the world, but this album is about that transitional period. Hence the title, “I’m Sorry, Congratulations.” Being stuck in this purgatory was part of the journey.

Chris: I hope that the people who like this kind of music find it and love the shit out of it! I personally think it’s an incredible duet! What I learned making it, and it’s cliche, but I remind myself to be mindful when creating and to notice when my ego enters the room, especially when working with others. Let the thing come to life and pay attention to what makes my hair stand up.

Liz: I hope people feel connected to themselves and ponder on the spirits around them sending them little messages and maybe they can even do a little meditation to connect with their past self and hold out an open hand of love to bring them closer into the future, just as your future self holds their hand out for us now. All the versions of ourselves swirling around and connecting.

Chris: You know, you beat me to it, Mitch! Jacob Ungerleider! I’m just seeing you did a feature on his upcoming record. He’s so good! His music is like Burt Bacharach, Elliot Smith, and Randy Newman. Our bedrooms used to share a wall and I couldn’t tell when I was dreaming in music or when Jacob was playing the keyboard next door. I’m pumped for him and his album to be out. He’s a good dude and a talented fellow.

Liz: I’m in a 1 am uber home from LA listening to Georgian minimalist techno wow it’s hitting. This Uber driver is playing George Kopaliani. Makes me feel like it’s 2003 I’m at a club in Greece omg the beat is about to drop sometimes it’s just fun to get into actual minimalism mannn! (Brings me back to when I dated a DJ in Italy and he would take me to Amnesia in Milan, what a different life). I don’t discriminate.

Chris: Thank you, Mitch for having us! So cool to share the story and the song with the Atwood readers and thanks for supporting artists all these years.

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:: connect with Chris Wills here ::

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Stream: “Love Live On” – Chris Wills ft. Revenge Wife

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