It’s rare to hear an outside influence on a Tourist song, but with “Last”, the London producer’s latest single, it is heard loud and clear as he brings in Rhone Island’s The Range to complete this deeply personal track.
While Tourist’s most recent album, Wild , celebrated the imaginative, “Last” treads the narrative storyline with a more explicit fervor. Each keystroke reverberates with conviction, standing alone in a sea of vocal chops and a simmering bass line that make the space feel empty, yet oddly comforting. The duo is patient to fill in the gaps, shortening the loops as they go before clearing the space for a melodic line that eventually breaks into a drum-frenzied catharsis. Every ringing chirp and supporting synth is selected with care, mindful of the delicate emotional balance maintained by all the little−and big−elements in the track. A fitting tribute to the true meaning of abandonment behind it: “‘Last’ to me, is a reflection on grief,” Tourist explains in a post shared on his social media pages. “I started this track with James a few years ago, and while writing it we noticed that we were hearing the lyric differently, I was hearing ‘you know you’re lost’ whereas James was hearing ‘you know you last’. The duality of that truth resonated with me, as both meanings are applicable when someone leaves us. It has struck a more personal chord recently, as recently one of my dearest friends passed away very suddenly.”
Introspection is a privilege that seems sorely lacking these days, and if there’s anything that “Last” forces you into, it’s introspection. A brilliant and torrid journey that you only wish could last a little while longer.
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