In an attention economy, it’s easy to overlook how it’s shaped music and not always for the better. Some of the substance is lost when artists chase the latest trends, but when you find music that comes straight from the heart, you certainly feel it. London-based singer-songwriter Alto Key has just that with the euphoric, yet heartstring-pulling “things will change.”
As we resurface from the lockdown-induced hibernation and back into the world, the lasting impacts of the past years events still maintain a firm grip on our mental health and this balladesque effort captures that in a poetic fashion, and offers a sense of hope for how bright the future will be. “‘things will change’ for me, whilst borne out of this pandemic, is really a reminder that everything is temporary,” Alto Key shares via an email statement. “No pain can last forever but, also, happy moments should be cherished. I wanted the lyrics to really connect and be a ‘musical hug’ for those people out there struggling who really feel like they can’t take it anymore. Just hold on one more day because things will change.”
With a start as strong as the message behind it, bold and halcyon chords craft the melodious backbone for the track, and such as the track’s overall focus, the rhythm steadily marches on beneath, just like life itself. The energy dips down for the verse, and the instrumentation pulls back to urge focus to the vulnerable lyricism, hooking you in with its frank platitudes that are hard to not hang off. As the piano climbs into the chorus and vocal soars into a soothing falsetto, it faintly recalls the delivery of Chris Martin, and that aforementioned sense of hope returns in both its instrumentation and lyricism, with the stark difference between verse and chorus working in eponymous synergy.
Naturally, the message of the song has an impact that will outlast the circumstances that it was inspired by, and can always be returned to as a sense of solace as no matter how tough things may be, things will indeed change.
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