Popcorn Noises

Widowspeak - “Hard Times”

Like good design or comfort food, “Hard Times” is deceptively simple. It’s an exercise in perfectly arranging the most basic elements so that what would for most bands be (at best) a sketch becomes a gorgeous guitar pop gem. Notice how the lead guitar provides the perfect counter-melody to Molly Hamilton’s voice, trading every two-note phrase with her to keep the verses rolling forward. The addition of organ on the chorus creates fullness by widening the song’s textural palate and the subtle addition of vocal harmony on the second verse highlights a melody that might wear itself thin otherwise. And yet, while you’re listening, all of it feels perfectly natural and un-labored-over. Hamilton’s lyrics, too, make the most out of their surroundings. With barely 40 words, she tells a break-up story (met in October, split by December), laments the mundanity of it all, and then turns around to offer sympathy. “You think you’re low, but you can get lower,” she shakes her head, “it’s hard times”—as if a dreary relationship was somehow a symptom of economic turmoil and social unrest. It may be a familiar story, but Widowspeak play it so well you’ll want to hear it over and over.

runner-up: “Nightcrawlers”