Its melancholic melody, paired with its poignant lyrics, strangely conjures up guilt, for an emotional crime committed. Ben Schneider‘s vocals bear a hangdog charm that tells the story of a love that couldn’t withstand the test of time, with the singer expressing remorse for not being able to keep their promises.
‘I told you I could never love somebody else, but I lied’ is a line that crashes all previous love songs in a heap. When Allison joins in, their voices intertwine to convey shared sorrow and longing. It doubles the phantom guilt.
Musically, ‘I Lied’ is a masterpiece. The instrumentation is rich and evocative, with a blend of acoustic and electric elements that create a dreamy, almost ethereal soundscape. Its structure, with its gradual build-up and emotional crescendo, mirrors the tumultuous journey of the relationship it describes.
Profoundly moving, it sounds like a country song. But, then, it falls off the wagon and just floats away.