Pulsing with sadness, Skylar Fri’s “Without You I’m Just a Body” is a melancholy appeal to love, led by the realization that life is a dish best shared.
— —
Living life in the steadfast pursuit of your dreams and goals sounds like a noble endeavor, but what is success without someone to share it with? Skylar Fri’s new single captures the sorrow of living alone: Pulsing with sadness, electropop anthem “Without You I’m Just a Body” is a melancholy appeal to love led by the realization that life is a dish best shared.
Called you late from my motel
ended straight on your voicemail
I hope you’re good?
I hope you’re well?
I’ve been driving for miles and days
I’ve been speeding like an insane
I hope you love me still?
You love me still?
“Without You I’m Just a Body” – Skylar Fri
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/434331198?secret_token=s-uKZtX” 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 “Without You I’m Just a Body,” out April 27, 2018 via AntiFragile Music. A London-based emerging pop artist originally from Denmark, Skylar Fri has a knack for tugging at our heartstrings. She shot out of nowhere with her 2015 debut single “Man Is Strange,” which led to her signing with activist/advocate record label AntiFragile Music and an eventual debut EP, Lyng Land, in 2017. “Gold Rush,” Fri’s first single of 2018, found her exploring the nether reaches of electropop bombast in a colorful, evocative petition to emotion and connection. These sentiments continue to echo en force in “Without You I’m Just a Body,” whose mournful tone and heavy atmosphere set the stage for a grandiose personal statement.
I had a dream, I had a dream I came home
you jumped into the car and then we drove off
I had a dream, I had a dream you came along
Marrying the sounds of Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding, Skylar Fri weaves together a pained love letter. She spares no expense in her writing, laying everything out there for all to readily understand. Few artists are as adept as Skylar Fri at creating such depth at the very surface; “Without You I’m Just a Body” manages to say everything it truly needs to say, with poignant poetic language that instantly reflects the artist’s strong emotions:
Oh baby
Without you I’m just a body
So come with me cause
I, I had this dream
And lately
My senses are getting all cloudy,
cause without you I’m just a body
So come with me cause I, I had this dream
“‘Without You I’m Just A Body’ is about the loneliness experienced in single-mindedly pursuing perceived goals, in chasing sunsets on your own,” Skylar Fri tells Atwood Magazine. “It’s about that sudden realisation that no matter how much you run, no matter how much you chase those golden sunsets, and no matter how much you learn to love yourself… there is huge power in being truly loved by another human being. It’s a precious thing.”
The bed is too wide my ego too big
I’m in the wrong town and my judgement’s down
I don’t know how
I don’t know how
I wear the dress I never wore
the one you bought me when we were in that store
Should see me now
Should see me now
I can’t speak for other cultures, but I was never told to “go out there and find a partner.” Rather, I was instructed to embark upon a career; to pursue myself in my twenties. Partnership isn’t an inherent part of our cultural economy: We are born helpless and in need, requiring others to protect and nurture us until we come of age. Those people become the ones we love, but eventually we must leave their nest. When we are ultimately thrust into the great beyond, having been given the tools to make something of ourselves, the expectation is that we do just that – pursue our dreams and goals, and validate the hard work everyone has put into raising us along the way. You are of a group and of a culture, but you are an individual and you must prove yourself.
The funny thing about loneliness is that it’s a state of mind, rather than a state of being. Only once we find someone with whom to share and connect our life experience, do we realize the empty pit that exists without them. Some folks learn at an early age that life is best spent in the company of love – a notion Skylar Fri comes to realize throughout “Without You I’m Just A Body.” We hear her stacking up a list of things to be happy about, only to have them all fall down like a game of UNO: Without someone to enjoy life with, her milestones feel meaningless and empty.
“I had a dream that I was just a body, riding in a car, thinking that escaping was gonna take me far,” Fri sings. Lost in a sea of solitary misery, “Without You I’m Just a Body” is her swan song and last resort – a plea for connection, for support and for actualization. It’s a protest we can all relate to, in the hopes that we find our partner as well – and in that shared, dwelling sadness, there’s a glimmer of warmth, hope, and beauty.
Stream “Without You I’m Just A Body” exclusively on Atwood Magazine! Skylar Fri’s new song is out everywhere this Friday, April 27, 2018!
— — — —
Connect to Skylar Fri on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © AntiFragile Music
