UK based artist, Francesca Guerra, released her latest single, Pathetic, on July 1 2022, and we’ve been taking several thoroughly enjoyable listens here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today.
Pathetic is an emotional song which forces you to look at your own shortcomings and that internal battle of self worth. Pathetic gives a voice, and a very earnest one at that, to the feelings that we are ashamed to show ourselves and those around us.
Pathetic starts with a chorus of heavily reverbed voices. You already feel just a little euphoric before the lead vocal kicks in. The lead vocal is up front and close and supremely warm. It feels as though the artist is bearing her soul and you’re honoured to be a part of her journey.
With minimal instrumentation at the start, the backing and development happen behind the vocals. The cinematic instrumentation builds and builds throughout the track with occasional drops in intensity that pull you back into Guerra’s world before you get too carried away.
The layered vocals used in this track are simply stunning and back up Guerra’s lead vocal perfectly.
Pathetic feels like a track which could (and indeed should) easily be used for a film score. This is simply perfect music for a movie and with such a huge sound and a stinger ending, Pathetic has all the elements needed for a widely appealing track.
Our particular favourite moment is at 2 minutes where the attention to production detail is really quite astounding. The lyric “My head’s underwater and I’m” has a filtered EQ giving the impression that someone is coming out of the water. The line finishes with the word “resisting” which has the full EQ spectrum back in, making it feel as though there is hope for the person who feels they are drowning.
This is a superb example of a well produced track. Clear instrumentation as well as some very cool effects which really bring an extra level of depth to the song. It is warm and clear throughout and performed beautifully. A little boost around 120Hz to 150Hz would give some extra warmth in the low mid area and a small but wide boost across the high-mids centred around 5kHz would add to the breathy and bright character of the vocal track(s). However, to be clear, this tracks needs nothing. A stunning piece of work.
Pathetic is most definitely our song of the day. With outstanding production, great lyrics and delivery, and fantastic scoring and instrumentation, this is a simply stunning piece of music. We cannot wait to hear more from Francesca Guerra.