It’s been a while since SHY Martin, real name Sara Hjellström, appeared on BlackPlastic. Having graced these pages back in December 2018 with Just A Little Longer, the Swedish singer and songwriter is back with Can I Call You Back?
Starting with a bruised, delicate melodic guitar, Can I Call You Back? flows like a a stream of snatched thoughts, the lyrics and vocal performance the star of the show. Hjellström sets up and blows through little scenes that place you directly in the moment:
“I lose myself in conversations, I hear the words but I keep spacing, Outside it’s raining, it’s all I can think about. I can’t focus, no.”
This is a song that clearly depicts the experience of dealing with anxiety - those moments when you can’t quite connect in the right way and your mind can’t settle down enough to engage with whatever, or whoever, is there in the moment.
I have been the person asking, metaphorically, if I can call someone back. I have also been the person asked if they can come back later. What made Can I Call You Back stand out is the way Hjellström sounds like she is riding on the waves of something she isn’t in control of. That is exactly the moment when mental health can be hardest to manage: when you’re at the mercy of the waves and you can’t get a lock on the horizon.