Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Livi Jacobs. Shold’ve Known was released on June 9, 2023, and for fans of acoustic rock with female vocals, this track is most definitely for you.
Should’ve Known starts with a guitar riff that instantly gets stuck in your head and makes even the most stoic of listeners want to get their hips moving! At the very least, you’ll find yourself slow-nodding to this super-catchy riff.
When Livi’s vocals come in, you instantly realise why she’s already getting the recognition of an artist far beyond her experience. Her debut single, only released recently, garnered significant press and this, her second single is impressive enough to give her further reach and win her plenty of new fans.
Livi’s voice is warm and sultry. She delivers an effortless, natural performance. There are some stunning head-voice moments here which she eases into as though she were born to perform.
That all-important second verse adds in some bass guitar and keeps the interest for the listener. We were smiling all the way by this point. Should’ve Known is a simple song, but it is songwriting 101, and many a great writer could learn from this track.
We love the layered vocals in the choruses, together with the additional percussion, they make for a memorable and catchy section which we have no doubt you’ll be singing along to by the second time around.
Should’ve Known makes great use of stops in this track to create a tension and release feel, and the occasional use of long reverbs are a great production decision.
The song leads towards an instrumental section with occasional vocal moments before leaving us desperate for more with a stinger ending.
Lyrically, this song grabs your attention immediately. A song about giving your all in what appears to be a one-sided relationship with a narcissist. The opening line tells you everything you need to know;
“I really gave it all I had, I gave it all for you,
And now you’re running off, call me a psychopath,
I find it funny how you play the victim now, baby.”
Ideas from our ears
A cut at 110Hz in the bass would reduce a slight peak on the A note. There is an occasional resonance coming from the acoustic guitar on the G note too so a careful cut at 192Hz should control that. A small cut around 800-900Hz in the vocal track should balance out the mids a touch more. Lastly, a small overall boost around 2.5-3kHz for some added definition in that area. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
A simply stunning track from a new artist who is very much on course for bigger things. Livi Jacobs should be a household name. We strongly urge you to add “Should’ve Known” to your playlist today.
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