Blackaby is the musical mononym of William Blackaby, a London-based multi-instrumentalist championed by such luminaries as NME, BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and BBC Introducing.
Releasing his first music since 2023, ‘That Thing You Said’ was initially commissioned and recorded for a TV program. However, upon hearing the finished result, Blackaby found himself too attached to the song to hand it over.
Blackaby says: The song captures the immediacy and needs of a relationship, and is about not waiting. It’s about listening, reflecting and doing.
A strangely dissonant, eerie sound creeps in from the side and a panned guitar sound creates a sense of space right from the start. It’s a wonderfully intimate, tactile sound – I felt like I was sitting in the middle of the room with the band.
William’s smoky vocal tone warms the song like embers from a campfire, as the backing vocals flesh things out in a natural, organic way. There’s a detailed grain to this song, an effortless soulfulness that feels lived and unforced.
We’ll hold that bottle back for something special
That brand is from the year that you were born
And I remember when you made me something better
And I remember when you said that thing before
That thing that you said
There are acres of space in the mix, and things slot together beautifully – you can trace each sound as it moves. In the verses, there’s a subtle groove that never pushes too hard – in the chorus, the melody ascends and descends in steady steps. It’s quietly mournful, but doesn’t feel bleak.
The song has a crisp clarity, softened by its sweet, rounded warmth – and it left me wanting more, as after a little over 2 minutes the song winds down with a solo piano melody played with a richly characterful sound. It creaks, taps and sighs until the last breath of the song.
‘That Thing You Said’ is an elegantly tender song where, as your focus drifts from one element to the next, each sound comes alive, revealing new details like a hidden image in a Magic Eye picture.
Written by Grubby
