AVIV's "Black Coffee" Is a Call to Reconcile with the Ones You Don't Want to Lose

Sometimes, letting go of someone who’s not part of our life anymore is not that easy, but AVIV’s latest single “Black Coffee,” however, invites us to try making up with them.

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**Listen: “*Black Coffee” – AVIV***

There is one constant that all human beings have to face, often without realizing it, and that is the transience of things. It is often taken for granted that things will turn out the way we want them to, that a person will always be by our side despite everything. And yet, this is not always the case. We certainly don’t want to send out a pessimistic message, on the contrary – from Horace to Shelley, there are many literary artists who wanted to celebrate the mutability of things because it should encourage us to seize the day without any kind of remorse. What is certain, however, is that it is by no means easy to deal with change, whatever it may be. This time we are talking about when someone you care about becomes a stranger: we’re about to present Toronto bedroom pop artist AVIV’s latest single, “Black Coffee.”

“Black Coffee” is about stories that ended too soon, that don’t even really seem to be over, as if they were waiting for a real conclusion – or a new beginning. A dreamy tune with interesting retro pop and alternative vibes, with lyrics that show us reality straight up, with no filters. Not lacking, however, effective yet poetic metaphors, as if it was telling an ordinary fairy tale – rather than an all too real and common story.

How’s your brother? Making friends?
Does he know that we’ve come to an end?
Did you tell him that we’d talk again?

Yeah, we’re like black coffee
Leave our grains at the bottom
Unfinished stories, drinken up forgotten

All the memories and good mornings
We poured it all down in the drain

Yeah, we’re like black coffee
But we could fill it up if we’d wanna

Watching a special relationship slip through your fingers is a devastating experience in itself, perhaps even more so when you look back and think of what could have been, of all the moments stolen for a reason that in the end was nobody’s fault. It’s a bit like enjoying a coffee in a moment of relaxation, which soon reveals its grain: they’re a bit of everything and nothing and exist solely to remind you that there once was excellent coffee there. A simple metaphor, perhaps so small that no one would ever think of such a thing to describe the end of a relationship between two people – and yet, listening to “Black Coffee” and thinking about the interpretation we have just given you, would you find a more nailed comparison? We have our doubts.

In a year like this, a lot of people came into and out of my life. I learned that when things come to an immediate stop you have two options; either you give into the times and cut yourself off completely, or you put effort to continue connections. I know all of us had those friendships that frittered away through time, I hope everyone can connect and enjoy black coffee in their own way.

AVIV combines nostalgia, remorse, and countless “what if…?” in a song that acts as an album of memories, a reminder to enjoy the moment and to find a possible way to reconcile. Especially at a time like this, when nothing is to be taken for granted and you need to show triple the affection to those you love. After all, why not dedicate a song like “Black Coffee” to someone? If it conquers at first hearing, dedicating it to a person who is no longer in our lives shows the sincere will to rebuild a bond, the desire to find each other without ever losing touch again, to build new memories. Perhaps, starting with a black coffee that waits to be filled up.

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