A sweet song about love and friendship off his new album ‘Country,’ Medium Build’s “Knowing U Exist” is beautiful folk balladry at its finest: An intimate acoustic confessional that captures just how much our loved ones mean to us in two soul-stirring, smile-inducing minutes of musical magic.

Stream: “Knowing U Exist” – Medium Build

Spring has sprung up here in the Hudson Valley, and with it comes that innate, inevitable desire to lose oneself in sweet, serene acoustic dreams – for what is downtempo folk balladry, if not the perfect springtime soundtrack? Enter “Knowing U Exist,” the latest Medium Build single – and a truly beautiful two-and-a-half minute love song.

Reminiscent of The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Acoustic #3,” boygenius’ “Cool About It,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” and Harry Styles’ “From the Dining Table” off his solo debut (which remains a super underrated part of the Styles catalog, if I may say so myself), “Knowing U Exist” is a tranquil, tender, and intimate confessional: “F***, I just love laughin’ with you, the way your face gets all scrunched up,” Medium Build sings sweetly into our ears, his gentle voice hot on the mic and a radiant acoustic guitar in his lap as he plunders the contents of his very full heart. “F***, I just love starin’ at you, when you’re chewin’ on your tongue.”

The charm of his poetry lies in its specificity; with just a few lines, Medium Build exposes little details that bring us deep into his world.

Country - Medium Build — Medium Build’s fifth album ‘Country’ is out April 5, 2024

The song’s chorus is an endearing, smile-inducing moment of unflinching gratitude and sincerity that captures, in so few words, how easily love can calm a tortured soul. “And when the nasty thoughts come rushin’ in to meet me, knowing you exist takes a load off me.” The words are simple, direct, and honest.

“This song is about love. This song is about friendship,” Medium Build, aka singer/songwriter Nick Carpenter, shared upon his song’s release in mid-March. “I wish I knew how to say I love you in a normal way.”

F, I just love snackin’ with you
Seeing what you get
F, I just love teasin’ on you
And calling you a “bch”
I get heavy and I think too much
I get loud when I drink**

And when the nasty thoughts
come rushin’ in to meet me
Knowing you exist takes a load off me
Just knowing you exist takes a load off me

I would argue – as so many friends and fans have done in the comments section of Medium Build’s Instagram account – that “Knowing U Exist” is plenty normal. Love lies in the silly little details, doesn’t it? Laughin’, snackin’, teasin’… these are the special shared moments that make up the best parts of a romance, let along any relationship.

That Carpenter gets to drop a couple f-bombs is just the cherry on top. Haven’t you ever loved someone so much, that you had to swear as loud as you could?! “F***, I love you!” Try it! It feels really, really good.

MEDIUM BUILD IS CUTTING THRU THE NOISE WITH A HUMAN TOUCH

:: ARTIST-TO-WATCH ::

**“Knowing U Exist” is the last single before Medium Build’s new album Country arrives on April 5.**

Recently, Atwood Magazine named Medium Build as one of our 2024 artists to watch, and rightly so. Billed as a record built with a human touch, Country already promises to be one of the alternative/indie world’s best releases of the year, as is evidenced by its four promotional singles, each of which hits hard and leaves a bit of Nick Carpenter’s heart and soul behind.

As for me, I’ll be getting all up in my feels all season long, thanks to the sweet acoustic stylings of Medium Build and his breathtakingly beautiful new song.

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