A poignant and powerful cry for closure, “Old Times Sake” echoes with profound and bittersweet sadness as Jong SL comes to terms with a relationship’s end.
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You don’t often realize you’re living your glory days until they’re gone; too often are we swept up in the moment, caught in the commotion of life’s hustle and bustle. When we do look back, it’s with nostalgia and sadness, warmth and appreciation – as is the case with Jong SL’s new single. A poignant and powerful cry for closure, “Old Times Sake” echoes with profound and bittersweet sadness as Jong SL comes to terms with a relationship’s end.
Remember the Christmas in NY city?
All the couples like us at the tree celebrating?
I run these scenes as I play my weeping strings
Well you left me and I miss everything
Listen: “Old Times Sake” – Jong SL
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/335552135?secret_token=s-5SlzK” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Old Times Sake,” the latest single from Jong SL (born Jong Lee). Born in South Korea, Jong SL emigrated to North America at a young age grew up in Buffalo, New York. Now based in Toronto, Canada, the singer/songwriter displays his personal strife between Eastern and Western cultural identities, understanding who he is in relation to both himself and to those around him, through his vibrant, beautifully melodic and bittersweet songs.
While 2017’s debut single “Deep Sea” offered a mix of sounds that evoked some sort of mystical Owl City/Jason Mraz musical hybrid, “Old Times Sake” finds Jong SL honing in with somber warmth and grace. He calls himself an “alternative singer/songwriter,” and that description fits better than most: “Old Times Sake” has a little bit of everything in it, showcasing Jong SL’s balladry, vocal strength, and production skills with striking finesse.
Please don’t run away
at least be friends again
I know I made mistakes
But I love you
just come back for old times sake
“My girlfriend at that time left to go back to Japan,” Jong SL tells Atwood Magazine, recalling the personal story surrounding his latest release. “I felt like there wasn’t closure and this song really helped me through that time.” Music saves the day again, this time in the guise of a hauntingly intimate, heartbroken plea: “I know I made mistakes, but I love you – just come back for old times sake,” he protests, begging for something he knows can never last:
My heart aches a little bit more than yesterday
But I know your hearts in agonizing pain
If I ran into you today I would freeze and say
Do you still love me?
Can you still love me?
He may only be at the starting line, but Jong SL is taking off at full force, sweeping us under his passionate gaze with delicate, grand melodies and humbling honesty. Hopefully listeners can take from this song the same closure the artist felt upon completing it: A lullabye and a protest, “Old Times Sake” invites us to dwell in our own love and sadness. Stream Jong SL’s latest release, exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
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