Songs of the Week: Madison Hughes, Cate Tomlinson, & Amelie Patterson

Welcome to Songs of the Week, a running series with new selections.

Madison Hughes – “The Heartbreak Kid”

Some lovers will lasso your heart and steal it from your chest. That’s just the way of things. Finding herself encountering such a person, Madison Hughes regales a tale about a heartbreaker who’s done some major damage to her heart. She’s shattered and left crying on the floor, barely able to utter a single word. “The Heartbreak Kid” is a chewy little tune, a dusty one paying homage to the likes of Billy the Kid and the Sundance Kid. Percussion and guitars gallop along in the dirt, as Hughes’ voice trails behind with its supple twang. Ironically, it’s a real heartbreaker of a song.

Cate Tomlinson – “Blueberry Season”

Summer is waning. August burns hot in the sky, but the feeling of autumn creeps around the edges. It’s only a matter of time before green turns to brown, orange, and red. Feeling it from all sides, Cate Tomlinson draws parallels to the fading of time and a relationship’s slow-burning out. “I hate that you’re fine,” she sings, later adding, “I can fix myself…” Her words gather like crumpled rose petals, already drained of their life. Despite the ruin, Tomlinson picks up the pieces by the song’s end and rides off into the sun far more self-possessed than she ever was before.

Amelie Patterson – “Golden Line”

Amelie Patterson’s “Golden Line” is celestial. Instruments glide effortlessly over romping drums, lining each word with a magnificence of otherworldliness. “Never gonna let you go,” sings Patterson. She extends her hand, as a loved one crumbles to the effects of mental illness. She snuggles them closer, soaking up the pain in her shoulder before releasing it to the heavens. “Doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right / You can see through the day, you can see through the night / Keep your hand tight to mine,” she whispers. Her voice is angelic, yet rooted to the earth like some thorny vine. In essence, she cleanses the senses and lets the dirt of the day wash away.

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