Old Friends keep things simple on “Backburner,” and that’s a big part of why the song works. The guitars are soft and emotional, staying clear without doing too much. They give the song its mood while leaving enough room for the vocals to stand out. The vocals carry a lot of feeling too, sounding raw and intimate rather than being overly processed.
The song is about pushing someone away and putting their feelings aside, even when they keep trying to reach you. It feels like the singer has no room for love, or only wants it when it comes without any pressure. You get the feeling of someone who is still in a relationship but has already checked out emotionally. That feeling of being distant comes through in the music, which you can tell by how sad the vocal texture is and how it’s being delivered.
The drums are simple, keeping a steady groove without taking attention away from the guitars and vocals. There’s also some interesting instrumental sounds in the background that you might miss at first, but it becomes easier to notice after a few listens. A unique moment comes at the end, when the instrumentals build up and intensify, pushing the song to its emotional peak, then it slowly falls down to end the song.
Backburner is quite an honest song that says a lot with very little.
Written by Toyo Senpai
