The dreamy finale to GIYA’s ‘ODD FISH’ EP, “spin the record” is a warm, wistful walk down memory lane soaked in aching soul and bittersweet nostalgia as the London-based singer/songwriter processes the weight of love and the pain of estrangement.
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Stream: “spin the record`” – GIYA
Moody, brooding, and achingly beautiful, “spin the record” is a warm walk down memory lane soaked in soul and bittersweet nostalgia.
GIYA holds nothing back as she processes the weight of love and the pain of estrangement, unpacking parts of her personal life in a song that aches from the inside out. The final track off her recently released sophomore EP is a wistful, melancholy exploration of how our relationships with our loved ones change over time – sometimes for better, sometimes for worse – and that yearning we feel for things to go back to the way they used to be, even when it those doors are closed for good.
So, spin the record: Get lost, if only for a few minutes, in the gentle haze of an old, familiar face; let GIYA’s voice wrap around your ears, blanketing the soul like a comforting, cathartic dream.
Spin the record and pretend,
We are just like we used to be
Spin the record,
Let the songs take us back
to the long drives with me,
In the booster seat,
So spin the record,
Spin the record
Spin that record for me
Spin the record,
Spin the record
Spin that record for me
A jazzy, gauzy, achingly intimate indulgence, “spin the record” captures in sound what it feels like for a soul to wax nostalgic. The soothing, hot-on-the-mic finale to GIYA’s sophomore EP ODD FISH (independently released August 17, 2023) sees the London-based alt-pop singer/songwriter dwelling in a simpler past and a complicated present, picking apart the nuances of her own father-daughter relationship in a song that feels simultaneously tranquilizing and angsty:
I was your little monster,
I was daddy’s girl
But now we never talk,
And I don’t recognise the man in the empty shoes,
That you walk in
Don’t want to fight you,
I don’t want to fight you,
Even though I’d really like to
I just can’t understand,
How you call yourself a man,
When you can’t even love your own girl?
“‘Spin The Record’ is a powerful song about father-daughter relationships,” she tells Atwood Magazine. “The lyrics describe the ups and downs of my relationship with my dad and the frustrations that can arise when pride and anger cloud the love two people have for each other. Thankfully things between me and my father are much better now, and as difficult as it is to listen back to the track, it also shows how much we have healed from what was a difficult past. In the process of releasing this song, we have also had long overdue conversations, discussing what really happened and healing old wounds.”
“I hope this song can start similar conversations for people in the same boat. With the perspective of time, listening to this song now really shows me that holding grudges is never worth it, and no matter how bad things might seem, it’s never too late.”
GIYA’s lyrics cut deep as she pours her heart and soul into an impassioned and stirring eruption. “‘Cause you just can’t see, this is all a plea to just get something off you,” she sings in the second verse, longing for those moments of joy and connection that came so effortlessly in her youth:
So spin the record and pretend,
We are just like we used to be
Spin the record, let the songs take us back
to the long drives with me, in the booster seat
So spin the record, spin the record,
Spin the record for me
Spin the record, just spin, spin the record
Though each other’s eyes we can’t see
Sitting across from me,
I can see it in your eyes
You don’t recognise any part of this girl
We’re going back and forth,
With pointless conversation it’s clear,
You’re not going to see my end of the situation
So spin the record,
Spin the record,
Spin the record for me
Don’t want to fight with you,
I don’t wanna fight with you,
But I swear to God I could chuck this glass at you
‘Cause you just can’t see, this is all a plea,
To just get something, off you
Following the enchanting songs “junk house,” “4 once,” and “foggy hearts” – all three of which were steadily released over the past year, in advance of this EP – “spin the record” is an especially vulnerable conclusion to the instantly irresistible, beautifully disarming ODD FISH.
“My new EP ODD FISH documents my journey through my early twenties, describing the conflicts, joys and pitfalls of the last three years,” GIYA explains. “It’s a project which is written through my eyes, and the emotional rollercoaster that this time has been, especially for young people supposedly in the golden years of our lives. The title ‘odd fish’ is something I was called when I was younger, in particular by my dad; I was always a bit of a misfit. It seemed to ring true to the EP, and in the case that everyone at the moment seems a bit alienated, a bit of an odd fish.”
So spin the record,
I’ll pretend that things are not as f**ed as they’ve been
So spin the record,
‘Cause I know I’ll never get the sorry off of you that I need
So spin the record, spin the record,
Spin the record for me
Spin the record, spin the record
Spin that record for me
So spin the record, ’cause I know I’ll never get the sorry off of you that I need…
How beautiful it is that, through her own difficult experiences with disconnect, dysfunction, and discord, GIYA has created a vessel of connection and cathartic release.
ODD FISH, in particular “spin the record,” is an invitation to dive into life’s messier moments head-on, so that we, too, may unpack the tough moments and find closure where we can. An undeniable bright spark in London’s indie music scene, GIYA is a purveyor of dreams – a soothsayer, or rather soothsinger, ready to charm the ears, intrigue the mind, and inspire our weary souls.
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Stream: “spin the record`” – GIYA
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