The latest single from Liverpool, UK/Seattle, WA artist Lila Holler, Bruising builds slowly. Glassy vocals and muted guitars create a 90s-esque folk-pop sound as Holler rapidly weaves together a series of intimate lyrical couplets.
Bruising hits its stride in its chorus, a minute in, fuzzy bass guitar establishing a hooky bed for Holler’s vocals. Increasingly frustrated, she asserts that, ‘you love me like propane, it’s just what kept you going… oh it’s useless, and I can feel us bruising’. The song switches back to the saccharine stylings of the verse, staying there for a brief 30-second interlude, before suddenly pulling me back into that chorus.
This time Holler’s vocals are joined by a pulse racing soft cacophony — layered percussion, warm bass tones, guitars and overdubbed all vocals all tumble together to give me goosebumps. It feels like Holler has been holding back on us — deliberately dulling herself to match the dissatisfaction of her relationship. A bit of me feels cheated by that first chorus, which is fine enough, but doesn’t have the fucking fight that I now know Lila is capable of. But then, isn’t that the point? Bruising feels great precisely because it gets you there gradually, a lesson in the power of contrast, and of layering.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Phoebe Bridges, Clairo, and FKA Twigs, Lila has created a little nugget of pop perfection. It also acts as an analogue — a reflection of the three-dimensional depth all of us have and are capable of. Why should we be expected to reveal everything, to those around us, straight away?
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