May Payne – “The News”
Photo provided by artist.
London-based May Payne arrives on the blog with “The News,” a vulnerable and authentic portrayal of heartache.
In a seemingly endless sea of folk songs that highlight the devastation at the end of a relationship, May Payne stands out by incorporating glorious servings of dynamic variation. From the stripped-back, acoustic guitar-led beginning to the eventual arrival of the vintage-tinged rhythm section, “The News” ebbs and flows to underline the emotional whiplash of having the future pulled out from beneath your feet.
Payne describes herself as a “chronic over-sharer,” but it is because of this that we’ve found it so easy to relate to her storytelling, especially with a vocal performance that maintains such an authentic and intimate nature. Instead of relying on all the bells and whistles of modern production tactics, “The News” leaves its rougher edges intact, imbuing the sound with a humanness that leaves us believing every word.
About the track, Payne offers: "When we broke up after two years, my ex said that they would love me forever, that they would be incapable of dating anyone unless it was me again. A few weeks after that, I found out that they were already in a relationship with someone else. I remember immediately after seeing it thinking that I could either go into a complete tailspin or try to write about it, and this song came out in one go as soon as I sat down."