Nick Gardner - Lose You

Stream Lose You here (Soundcloud)
Buy Lose You here (iTunes)

January is a brilliant time of year for catching up on songs that you may have inadvertently missed in the glut of music released in quarter four of the year before. It's like a melodic Christmas II inviting you in with exciting new sounds, engaging new voices and unforgettable hooks & refrains. It's also a time for recrimination and regret when you discover the type of song that stops you in your tracks with it's haunting beauty - and the knowledge that you could have had this compelling piece of music in your life for so much longer. Nick Gardner and his stunning single Lose You is one of those very songs. It's no wonder that magazines that focus on actual song craftsmanship and exquisite production touted the song as a must have when it was released in October last year. You'll no doubt have seen his name on many a "ones to watch in 2015" list praising his soulful tones and mesmerising ability to command attention as he sings. And you may end up beating yourself up a little that you didn't find out about him earlier but let those feelings go and focus on how good it is to have this song (and hopefully many more to come) soundtracking your memories and future experiences right now. Lose You is a narrative that feels instantly familiar in the sense that it speaks to the relationships you've had to fight for, those that are worth clinging on to because the good times are infinitely more rewarding than the bad times are despondent. It's set to a prominent percussive drum beat that seems to echo into the ethers like the quickened pace of a beating heart; meanwhile wintry cool synth effects bring to the fore an element of the stark realisation that losing someone you love feels like an icy dagger through that beating heart. It's the perfect backdrop for Nick to turn out an actual performance of the words where they seem to embody his entire being and his voice is fueled by passion, angst and yearning all at once. All this coalesces to bring you into the core of the song, to feel like it was written solely for you - even if this circumstance hasn't happened you know that Lose You is waiting for it's moment to soundtrack your life. A brilliant piece of work that's well worth revisiting if you were already familiar and an absolute necessity to buy if you are new to it. Even if Nick did mock me on twitter once for going to see Nativity 3*... ;)


*(He was right though. What a pile of poo. It's not like Catherine Tate is sitting around now wondering where her Oscar nomination is)!