With delicate intensity, Nashville alt-indie newcomer Gatlin exposes the acute and profound feelings of being caught in the net of someone not so good for you in new single, “I Think About You All The Time.”
RIYL: Phoebe Bridgers, Bre Kennedy, & Big Thief
“I Think About You All The Time” – Gatlin
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My favorite songs to discover are the ones which I’m positive will comfort me when I need it most; the aching ballads that envelope you whole and assure your quarrelsome mind that others are hurting too. “I Think About You All The Time” by Nashville-based siren Gatlin newly added itself to my somber song collection. Gatlin creates folk-leaning musical landscapes overflowing with yearning, passion, and introspection. With a haunting presence, “I Think About You All Time” commands attention through intoxicating honesty and spectral vocals. Atwood Magazine is proud to premiere the wistful single “I Think About You All The Time” by Gatlin, an alt-indie newcomer and an Atwood 2020 Artist-to-Watch.
In short, “I Think About You All The Time” sings about the person we feel we need, but one who ruins us. The partner who manipulates, toys, and tricks to make themselves feel in control. At first, it feels like the age old dating strategy of “playing hard to get,” yet the toxicity quickly becomes unavoidable. Soon, the person uses others to itch under your skin and guilt to drive you mad.
You really got me bad
With a girl I didn’t know you had
She’s laying in your bed
But you’re fucking with my head
You want me where I’m at
There’s always a moment in the relationship when the victim recognizes the patterns and mistreatments, but can’t escape the attraction – whether it be physical or emotional. We witness this change through the evolving pre-chorus verses. Gatlin switches from love to hate, but moves no closer to resolution.
And I know you know I know you’re no good
But I know you know I’d love you if I could
…
And I know you know I know you’re no good
But I know you know I’d hate you if I could
“I Think About You All The Time” is Gatlin’s second single of 2020, following February’s “Talking to Myself” and last year’s “Curly Hair,” which Atwood Magazine premiered in 2019 – at the time writing, “Gatlin’s self-awareness fuels not only her own internal struggle, but also her music’s ragged, raw folk tonality.”
She explains to us, “‘I Think About You All The Time’ was written with my good friend Victoria Bigelow about a relationship I was in at the time. It is one of those songs that every lyric still feels raw when I still sing it because of its cuttingly truthfulness. It takes me right back to – in this case – four months ago. Sometimes people you are with do not treat you well and you can know in your head that they are bad for you, but you cannot control your feelings. The song is about that kind of relationship and the fact that it was so consuming that it was hard to be present in my everyday life.”
Gatlin sticks to everyday dialogue because this situation feels sharply familiar to some people. It’s an easy – maybe even unintentional – choice, but one that elevates the song’s cutting depth. Sonically, the track sticks to limited production, simple guitar patterns, and light drums beats which opposes the stinging emotion within the verses.
You’re everything to me
I’m the one you call when you can’t sleep
I pray away the sun
Because when the morning comes
You always leave
Gatlin continues, “I wanted the production of the song to match my emotion – really vulnerable in the beginning but the track just grows and ends with chaos and muddiness with lots of vocal layering and dissonant guitars. The end of the song is the final breakdown – the part in a relationship where you can’t take things as they are anymore. Thinking about somebody all of the time – especially someone who is ‘no good’ – is a very smothering and lawless state to be in. Sometimes in the beginning it can feel innocent, then with time grow to be just a little too messy. I think it’s good to get all that emotion out, and then hopefully freaking move on – which are the songs I’m writing now!”
As we reach the bridge, the melody’s intensity climbs to its pinnacle and we lose ourselves within the layers of her voice. We follow her up the stairwells, down the hallways, and in circles around the rooms of her mind. The un-ending cyclical layers imitate the heavy feeling of being unable to evade the thoughts in your head.
You make your moves, I fold
Stakes are high for having someone to hold
You’re keeping score and you’re coming out just fine
Cause I think about you all the time
I think about you all the time
I think about you all the time
I think about you all the
I think about you all the
“I Think About You All The Time” may sound subtle at first listen, but there’s vivid power within these stanzas and chords.
Gatlin boldly announces herself as a cunning artistic maven with this stunning first single of 2020.
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“I Think About You All The Time” – Gatlin
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