Born in a summer storm, Black Grapefruit’s “End” is the quintessential rainy day song, a nostalgic and ambient reflection full of longing and love.
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Endings are, at their best, bittersweet. As we close one chapter of our lives and turn the page, we are prone to inevitably look back with nostalgia and familiarity, and perhaps even remorse or longing. Any finale, positive or negative, leaves behind some kind of sour taste in its wake. It’s human nature to dwell in what we know, adapting to changes along the way: The more experiences we accumulate, the more memories we have to lose ourselves within. Black Grapefruit’s poignant, moody “End” evokes endings’ bittersweet weight in a warm wash of wistful affection and electronic R&B emotion.
I remember four seasons
I remember loving you
I remember midnight calls
I remember having you up in my bed
And how would I know that
we’d get this far, we’d fall so hard
And how would I know that
I’d break your heart I’d leave you scars
Listen: “End” – Black Grapefruit
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/434986152?secret_token=s-Cswxa” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “End,” the latest single off Black Grapefruit’s upcoming debut album All My Relations (independently out August 10, 2018). The longtime musical duo of Brian Dekker and Randa Smith (who released a self-titled debut album as SOS in 2014), Black Grapefruit is the musical manifestation of introspection and intimacy; of blackness and femininity; of heritage and identity.
Born in a summer storm, “End” is the quintessential rainy day song, a nostalgic and ambient reflection full of longing and love born in a summer storm. Pulsing synth bells set a somber scene; below them, a cool electronic drum kit lays its deep, heaving pulse. Immediately upon entrance, we sense the heavy weight of emotional baggage pulling at the artist inside and out. “I remember four seasons; I remember loving you,” Smith sings in the song’s entrance, going on to reflect on a story of how she is both the heartbreaker, and the heartbroken.
I remember you crying
I remember hating you
I remember midnight calls
I remember having you all in my head
If I could just get you alone
And you heard my voice then maybe you’d know
I’ve never needed you more
I will not live in a world with you gone
I will not be here alone
“‘End’ came together quickly while we were trapped inside on a stormy summer day,” Black Grapefruit’s Randa Smith tells Atwood Magazine. “The thunder and rain were so loud that it was almost as if the elements were pleading to be a part of the song, so we put a couple of microphones up to the window and rolled tape. There’s something about the sound of a storm that brings up memories, and on that particular day it called up the feeling of losing someone that you’re not quite ready to let go of. It’s a feeling that sticks with you forever.”
Wherever you are, wherever you go
Whenever you call, I’m by the phone
I hope you’re not drinking alone
There’s a common trope throughout all spheres of entertainment, in most cultures, that the actor who breaks up the couple is over and done with that relationship; that it’s already in the past for this person, and that the act of “breaking up” is more of a formality than anything else. “End” suggests otherwise, offering an alternate understanding of our approach to relationships. It provides insight into the emotional complexities that, in truth, mar every relationship; someone may know their ex-partner is not right for them, while still feeling love and affection or some sort of emotional bond and connection to that person. After all, the time spent with your partner is not lost; you cannot erase your memories, nor the intimate moments shared between two wayward souls.
“Wherever you are, wherever you go, whenever you call, I’m by the phone; I hope you’re not drinking alone.” Black Grapefruit repeat and emphasize these words in their chorus, underscoring the value of what once was. There’s a desire to remain that ex’s rock – the person they can “lean on” in dark times. The relationship may be over, but the feelings are still there.
We each have our own murky, turbulent emotional waters to traverse however we choose. Some may strive to be like Lot, and never look back; some may choose to maintain some form of relationship, evolving it into a friendship or other obscure non-label entity over time. There is no right way to say goodbye, just as there is no such thing as a clean ending. The best you can hope for is bittersweet.
Stream Black Grapefruit’s “End” exclusively on Atwood Magazine! A definite artist-to-watch, the duo’s highly-anticipated debut album All My Relations is independently out August 10, 2018!
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