San Francisco-based quartet Secret Secret bring warmth and heart to their brand of “lullaby punk”.
Secret Secret has shared “Fade Away,” the mellow first single from their upcoming self-titled record due out on July 1.
The track begins with an understated, almost twangy guitar riff that quickly gives way to gentle jazz drums and vocalist Sadie Alan’s lilting vocal melody. The track stays mellow and warm to the end, even as its vocal harmonies layer and its emotional intensity mounts. Their sound is clearly collaborative and calls to mind a sunnier Chastity Belt, falling somewhere between indie rock and jangle pop.
The track’s lyrics allude to the stress and damage an abusive relationship causes to the survivor’s body, eventually leading to the speaker fading away completely. It begins by describing the abusive partner running through the speaker’s head, slowing down their heart, and gripping at their lungs—symptoms of anxiety—before daring to ask the abuser if they’re tired from all that effort, asserting that “running through my veins all day /must take some of your life away.”
“This song personified is a long phone call to your closest confidant with a cup of tea in hand,” said the band. “The lyrics explore the destructive nature of an abusive relationship. It is ripe with dark imagery but when the group’s harmonies come in, you are struck with a feeling of support.”