For anybody sick of the cyclical carousel of disappointment, Riley Polanski’s single Unhappy Once more from the upcoming EP Thought I’d Study By Now is permission to slide into stasis and witness among the most tender expertise on the airwaves in 2025. The LA-based indie folk-pop artist has lengthy been recognized for weaving haunting storytelling with cinematic textures, exploring queerness, sobriety, and the delicate intricacies of reference to uncooked honesty. Right here, that honesty takes centre stage.
The alt-indie-folk association completely encapsulates the ache of inescapable melancholy because it visualises a sort of quiescent powerlessness towards the forces that pull you into pensive submission. The chamber strings towards the folks instrumentation create a pool of resonance that carries you thru the bruising confessional, one which leaves your abdomen in knots, your chest heavy, a sting in your eye as you take up the account of futility and worry. It’s a stunningly clever exposition of how anybody with a proclivity in the direction of disappointment is probably going one of many strongest folks .
With a closing contact of sonic dissonance by way of distortion and purposefully discordant layering, there’s no resolve on the finish; the ache is amplified, made intentionally inescapable. Unhappy Once more arrives as the ultimate preview earlier than Polanski’s extremely anticipated EP launch on November fifth, persevering with their status for balancing emotional urgency with atmospheric soundscapes.
Unhappy Once more is now out there on all main streaming platforms, together with Spotify.
Evaluate by Amelia Vandergast
