Hazy-folk-pop artist BEA from Belfast, Northern Ireland walks listeners through the streets of heartbreak on her brand new debut single, “These Streets of Ours.”
for fans of Foy Vance, Dermot Kennedy, Maggie Rogers, Phoebe Bridgers
Stream: “These Streets Of Ours” – BEA
Having spent the last three years pursuing a degree in songwriter and spending an entire childhood being inspired by Irish Folk music, independent hazy-folk-pop artist, BEA encapsulates the fleeting feeling of love in her debut single, “These Streets Of Ours.” Drawing from her roots in Belfast, Ireland, BEA creates music that references the echoes of traditional Irish Folk tones with a fresh, mystic, and modern pop energy. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Foy Vance, Maggie Rogers, and Phoebe Bridgers, BEA is now ready to share her own sound with the world in clear and honest songwriting in lyrical poetry that effortlessly moves in time to the music it was written around.
Since moving to London to study the craft of songwriting, BEA has come to develop a unique sound that fuses together folk influences and contemporary energy that allows “These Streets Of Ours” both the mystery and raw feeling behind acoustic tunes and also the catchy but relatably heartbreaking feel of a pop song.
I’ve heard the stories all before
of love that leaves you grieving, but now I know the feeling.
I can barely speak your name. I fell apart the day you left me,
and every breath since then feels empty
“These Streets Of Ours” opens in echoes, with only a piano and synth sounds to back up BEA’s unique voice and dreamy tone. Her talent for songwriting is brought to life in sound as the song’s feeling from the first verse to its second pulls you into the track’s love story deeper and deeper. Written from the perspective of a best friend who lost a love that left behind imprints of history all over their shared town, “These Streets Of Ours” also show BEA perfecting the rhyme and rhythm of a pop song.
Never losing feeling or depleting in energy, the song reaches incredible instrumentation when it hits the bridge and BEA’s vocals soar in time with the acoustic guitar, soft percussion, and continuous feeling of longing and regret. The singer-songwriter’s harmonies dubbed under her own lead vocals give the song a powerful energy – the same kind of energy you feel when heartbreak and grieving take over you. Co-produced with Paul Stanborough, the song’s melody is seldom ceasing. As her pre-choruses tie into her choruses and her choruses quickly latch onto the song’s bridge, BEA’s writing also echoes what it feels like to walk through the streets of a shared town, and how stretches of roads and walkways feel never-ending when you’re left to walk them alone.
Light this city up in flames.
Oh, I would rather burn to bone
than walk these streets of ours alone.
BEA’s talent for lyrical poetry also shines through in the track, just as much as her skill for musical creation. In contrast to the song’s hazy and thoughtful instrumentation that might allude more to acoustic sounding folk songs, it’s BEA’s lyrics that bring to life the sound of a fresh, pop perspective. “I don’t want space and I don’t want time,” she sings in the song’s bridge. “Even the streetlights know this isn’t over.” BEA’s reference to “streetlights” in this line puts her listeners in the same location that she’s singing about. Mentioning the streetlights allow listeners to envision “these streets,” which is pop music captivation in the most perfect, authentic way. Personifying the streetlights is reminiscent of songwriting by Taylor Swift, yet “These Streets Of Ours” has a sonic “BEA” kind of feeling to it. The fact that this line comes toward the end of the song and before the quiet slow down in the track’s bridge, allows BEA to paint the picture of the streets and the town and the memories that were once had there, before reaching an ending chorus. Repetitive lines that cry, “This isn’t over,” mimic heartbroken thoughts of denial while the song’s ending says otherwise, showing the tragedy of a breakup and the reality of BEA’s breathtaking songwriting.
Inspired by experiencing second-hand heartbreak from a close friend, BEA tells Atwood Magazine in her own words how “These Streets Of Ours” came to life, and how it helped her break through her writer’s block –
“I wrote this song back in March from the perspective of a close friend after watching her fall in love for the first time and then process that relationship coming to an end. I had been experiencing a bad case of writer’s block at the time. Everything I was writing just didn’t feel good enough and songs weren’t coming easy to me. It was suggested to me to write from somebody else’s perspective and this was the result. I think it’s so important as a writer to be able to be honest and vulnerable if there’s no feeling put into the song then how are people going to feel something from listening to it? It had to be personal. It sounds funny but I felt like I was experiencing secondhand grief from being with her as she came to terms with the loss, like when you’re really invested in a movie and then your favourite character dies. As hard as it was to watch friends go through that, it felt very special to be able to write about it and I am so grateful to them for inspiring me and helping me get unstuck.”
“These Streets Of Ours” is available for streaming on Spotify today. Keep up with BEA on all socials to learn more about her artistry, story, and all the upcoming music she has in store!
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Stream: “These Streets Of Ours” – BEA
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