When you can’t bring yourself to turn the page, a chapter of your life will never be fully closed. The lack of a satisfactory ending keeps you from starting anew. “Fire Escape,” the latest single by singer-songwriter Cooper August Smart, is a reflective, acoustic ballad about missing someone deeply, but entrenched in the struggle to move forward after they’re gone.
“Fire Escape” is led by the warmth of its acoustics, which are later complemented by soft, tapping, rhythmic beats. On the whole, it’s an unassuming variety of melodic field, allowing the resonating angst of its choruses to push their way forward, front and center. On that note, “Fire Escape” pivots between measured yet wistful vocals and its more emphatic choruses. Altogether, “Fire Escape” leans on simplicity to carry the day, allowing its more restless moments to speak volumes.
“Fire Escape” is split between self-isolation and becoming adrift in an idyllic reverie. In a way, it’s a song about the quiet desperation churning away in your mind. Then again, “Fire Escape” imagines an idealized love that lives in their heart alone. All in all, “Fire Escape” is about being of two minds while you’re stuck on someone. Ultimately, what wins out is the the difficulty of moving on with your life.
When someone enters your life, they leave a mark that is hard to erase. You cannot easily forget they were ever there or else what was it all for. “Fire Escape” is what comes with the territory of loving and losing.
Written by Travis Boyer
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