Lessons in Love Song 1: Lie – Chasing Abbey

‘Tis the season to release love songs and declare that you love someone so much it hurts but that’s not exactly what we got when Chasing Abbey released ‘Lie’ on Friday (February 10th). Instead, Chasing Abbey have released what can only be called a ‘how not to’ on starting a relationship. I’ll give you a hint, maybe don’t lie. By now, Chasing Abbey shouldn’t require an introduction for our regular readers; so we’ll just dive right into our new series for February: Lessons In Love where we take a new release each week of February and review the song as a whole and the lessons we learn.

The lyrics of this song are straightforward and to the point. There are no metaphors or hidden double meanings in this track as the lyrics bluntly state that whatever relationship that’s being referred to was built on a lie and is now falling apart because of it. It seems that any efforts to fix the failing relationship isn’t going to work either. This song isn’t confrontational, just an acceptance that things have come to an end and that fighting for the relationship is no longer an option perhaps because it’s too tiring to continue working around the lies that had initially been told. One thing that is blatantly apparent is that the lyrics are the point of focus in this track and show that trust and honesty are the cornerstones of any relationship and the relationship in question doesn’t have any of either left.

Opening the song with layered vocals or harmonies under the lead vocal gives us the opportunity to pick up the melody of the chorus before the song properly kicks in. We’re introduced immediately to the hook and drawn in by the simplicity but also the repetitive nature and rhythm. The music seems as though it is specifically designed to remain inconspicuous so that the lyrics of the song are very much the focal point of the track. The underlying track is subdued through the first chorus and builds as the song progresses towards the chorus. This is particularly obvious when you’re listening through speakers which is why I always wait to review a track until after I get my headphones to listen to it. The chorus is simple but very effective and will find a way to bury itself inside your head. I can promise you will find yourself singing it to yourself without realizing you’re doing it. To me, it seems like the music builds in confidence as the track progresses much like the lyrics do. The last line being accompanied solely by piano chords could imply that the lyrics don’t need as much back up because the easy thing to do is tell the truth and leave things unedited. I have to commend the crisp enunciation of the lyrics throughout the track, except for one word, the lyrics were very comprehensible and, for those who’ve read my reviews before, we all know how important that is to me. Granted, listening to the accent everyday may have also helped me understand better. The one thing I really want to focus on is the clarity of the track and how uncluttered the track is overall. Overall, simplicity is key in every aspect of the song and it ties everything together nicely. It really highlights the whole notion that it is the simplest concepts that are the key to success in multiple aspects of life. 

There is honestly nothing I can critique about the production of the track for a change. When I initially heard the song live, this was not the approach that I expected from the studio version. It is by far my favourite of Chasing Abbey’s releases, proves that the great quality we got from Close To You wasn’t luck and brings Chasing Abbey into a new era of releases with a higher calibre and quality of music. I get the feeling we have a lot to look forward to in the future.

‘Lie’ is out now on all good streaming platforms and you can follow Chasing Abbey on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok!