Break up songs are 10-a-penny but there is an odd twist in this one.
On ‘Things I no longer do’, Danish singer Carmie (Christine Aggerholm) tells the story of having to move back in with her parents at the age of 23 after breaking up with her boyfriend.
It describes all the things she no longer does after the breakup, but also the things she actually enjoys doing for herself now.
That doesn’t sound like much of a recipe for a song but the angle of having to readjust, even temporarily, to the status of a child, having previously made the leap to fly the nest, is an interesting one.
The story seems to be set in the Covid era of 2020, which accounted for many relationships and adds no little poignancy.
It’s a soft, finger-picked acoustic guitar ballad to start off but later it explodes into a joyful celebration of the options available to her now which weren’t previously; drinking red wine, dancing on her own and “cooking up a future” without the ex beau.
If any of this suggests Americana, well yes I think there is more of a touch of it. She is thought of as an RnB and electronic pop artist but she’s come along here with an easy listening pop number with enough of a story line to hold your attention when you aren’t humming the memorable melody.
There are a few clever little lines in it, including one to “hindsight 20/20”, which is a common phrase apparently, even if one I hadn’t come across previously. What’s clever about it here is that in can refer to the year or to the clarity of her hindsight (as in she’d never make the same mistake again) in the same way as the perfect vision threshold of 20/20.
And make no mistake about it, Carmie can sing, whether she’s solo or harmonising with herself.
She’d better get used to making songs in her bedroom for as long as she’s back with the folks because they are going to be in big demand. (The songs that is, not the parents).
‘Things I no longer do’ is released on 23rd June 2023 and marks the early beginnings of a new musical direction for the Aarhus-based artist.
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063512524604
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmiemusic/
