The last we heard of The Songery, she was reimagining the genre of singer-songwriter into a dancing, whimsical land of ‘anything goes.’ With a recognizable frankness in her voice and lyrics, The Songery (moniker of Alexandria Leon) is back with a stunning, brave composition, “You.” Her upheaval of expectations lands perfectly in this shocking combination of harmony and rhythm, delivering three engaging minutes of zero instrumentation. Suave voice and light beats dressing the atmosphere, there are no guitars, no drums; only a story being told exactly as it was meant to be.
Leon states that the song can be “left open to your own individual experience,” and posted the lyrics to her SoundCloud. The imagery in her words spans from comforting to comfortably creepy, describing a relationship that has formed into a symbiotic dependency. Dysfunctional at best, a push and pull arises within two hearts who hold fast and refuse to release devotion, even if it’s misplaced.
“Combining that energy, the personal experiences I have faced with anxiety, depression, inner angst- using all that as fuel for the metaphor of this album concept I had been allowing to take shape… I just started singing words, and all of the sudden that Netflix show ‘You’ popped into my head and I just went with it,” shares Leon. “I knew this song would not fit in with any potential album, and I envisioned very sparse and minimal arrangement, and as someone who is completely DIY, I became extremely excited- fervent even. I thought, ‘Oh man, i can make this TODAY.’ I loved the spontaneity of just creating SOMETHING and holding no anticipation for it.”
There’s a relief that comes with the spunky candor of a Songery creation, certain that she was fearless in its formation. We’re hearing rumors of a fall EP from the songbird, and we can expect nothing short of artistic freedom and integrity. In the meantime, get comfortable and listen up to the one and only “You” below:
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Words by Ariana Tibi
