Premiere: London’s Luca Wilding Debuts with Raw, Impassioned “Heartachers”

Achingly raw, hauntingly soothing, and so full of love, “Heartachers” introduces British singer/songwriter Luca Wilding with breathtaking emotional vulnerability and haunting indie folk finesse.

Stream: “Heartachers” – Luca Wilding

We are the heartachers, and there ain’t no song too sweet

Luca Wilding’s debut single is a song for the voiceless – those who suffer in silence. Achingly raw, hauntingly soothing, and so full of love, “Heartachers” introduces the London-based singer/songwriter with breathtaking emotional vulnerability and indie folk finesse.

Had to go crazy to love you
Like the bat that I nailed to your tree
For I saw the hole in your harlequin soul
Where the sweetness dripped out at the seams

Lord I was lonely without you,
But you never thought twice about me
For I’m just the ghost of old Carwyn I know
And I’ll go back to my grave in your dreams

And as you sleep
Low in the moonlight all particles are thee
Obeyed, it’s true
She’s gone

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Heartachers,” Luca Wilding’s heart-on-sleeve debut single (out June 12, 2020 via Abbey Records). A story of mental illness and love, longing and volatility told in two parts, “Heartachers” is the raw, stripped-down outpouring of emotion from the outside looking in. It’s also our very first introduction to Luca Wilding, a tenacious songwriter and talented vocalist who clearly has not only a lot to say for himself, but also a lot to say about those around him. It’s not often we meet an artist so open, honest, and aware of their surroundings through a debut single; that “Heartachers” is not necessarily for Wilding, but for others in his life, speaks volumes about the soul behind the sound. His story has only just begun, and yet we can’t wait to hear more from Luca Wilding.

“Heartachers is about learning to let go of what was,” Wilding tells Atwood Magazine. “It was meant as a kind of call to arms; an invocation of the strength it takes to overcome the mountains of the mind. It tells the simple story of trying to love someone through all their pain and despite their sadness.”

Softly singing in a gorgeous falsetto above mellow, gentle electric guitar strings, Wilding paints a picture of struggle – inner and outer tension spilling from both the afflicted as well as their loved ones. Pain rings out into the darkness as the artist sings slow and true, his voice painting a delicate tapestry through sweet melodies and subtle harmonies:

I wandered lost in those heartaches
And oh it was terrible sweet
To be like the ghost in your story of hope
And become the one thing you most need

For one day we’ll meet
Low in the sea like two particles I dreamed
And as the sun sunk
I could see it was true
She’s gone

“I wrote ‘Heartachers’ during this really strange time in my life, and at the beginning of the series of events that led to me writing this album. A very close friend of mine was in the early throes of a long fight with mental illness. It was the first time I had seen the fragility of the mind in such a real way, and how quickly someone I thought of as so untouchable could fall; and how far,” Wilding reflects.

He continues, “When you’re young, you think nothing can happen to you. Then, when you see that that’s not true, it can be hard. It can get inside your head a little. I wrote the song as a kind of invocation of strength to people facing this realisation, as all people must. At its heart though, the song tells the simple story of trying to love someone through all their pain and despite their sadness; It is about beginning to let go of what was. I used to dream about the subject a lot around this time, and some of the scenes are a little dreamlike, like things said to someone in a dream, half-remembered in waking. It took a little time to write, because I really wanted to get across the side of the song that was deeply personal to me and then allow it to open up into something more universal. I think the balancing of these two things is greatly important to writing.”

“I was so lucky to work with such a talented group of musicians and an amazing producer, David Granshaw all of whom played their part in helping to translate these ideas into music. When we tracked it, it really felt like a big step towards what I’m doing now and I feel like it’s the perfect introduction to the album. I really hope that it might help, if only a little bit, anyone who is dealing with mental health issues in any form; and the silent army of people supporting and caring for these people. That in hearing it, they might know that they are not alone.”

I really hope that it might help, if only a little bit, anyone who is dealing with mental health issues in any form; and the silent army of people supporting and caring for these people. That in hearing it, they might know that they are not alone.

Halfway through its run, “Heartachers” transforms from an aching soliloquy to a fervent anthem of resilience and hope. After sitting in full silence for a few seconds, Wilding returns with a driving beat, a feverish guitar riff, and an ambient soundscape ready to embrace and take ownership of our grief. In that instance, the song becomes a vessel for spiritual cleansing and renewal – a means of acceptance and moving forward, building toward a poignant but cathartic release:

So long those long summers
So long those wild eyed dreams
We are the Heartachers
And there ain’t no song too sweet
Lay down my cold eyed lover
You have said your goodbyes to me
We are the heartachers
And yours is the song I need

Obeyed
It’s true
She’s gone

“Heartachers” tracks the five stages of grief from denial through acceptance. Emotional, uplifting, and connective, Luca Wilding reminds all of us who have lost a loved one – or seen someone we love undergo tremendous upheaval – that we are not alone; that there are others like us, and that time, while not healing all wounds, does go on: And so shall we.

Stream Luca Wilding’s “Heartachers” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from this exciting artist-to-watch!

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Stream: “Heartachers” – Luca Wilding

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