Montreal’s Libby Ember wrote this song 4 years ago. She’s currently 19. That means – after a bit of quick maths – that she was only 15 when she wrote this. That is incredible. As is this song.
She has channelled all the unbridled emotion and bittersweet earnestness of her songwriting idol, Phoebe Bridgers, and has penned a yearning anthem for unrequited love that will live forever. “Just reject me already, just please ask me to go / coz I can’t handle the moments when you give me a moment, anymore / just tell me I’m annoying, so that I know for sure” she sings as her heart gradually breaks over the course of three and three-quarters of a minute.
In the words of Libby herself, “It’s about wanting closure so badly you’d rather be rejected than keep wondering. The title comes from looking for signs in anything—even a fortune cookie.”
By the time the “mid September, late November / all that’s left are dying embers” lyrics in the bridge are delivered and the energy lifts slightly, you get the impression that the deal is sealed and that it’s all over. A synth sound is introduced that sounds like it could’ve come from The National’s “I Am Easy To Find” album, and you think this is the sound of her moving on. She’s coming out, she’s through the other side of the storm… But then, as the tempo shifts downward again and she sings “coz I know that if you asked me to stay / I wouldn’t say no” and, like Pacino in the Godfather III, just when we thought she was out, she’s pulled back in. The cello sound creates a deep, dark backdrop to this emotional journey, and by the time the end comes, we feel like we have been on it with her.
In addition to her solo work, Libby is one half of the duo MAE LENNON (@wearemaelennon), performing covers and original pieces at community events and on online platforms. Committed to deepening her musical expertise, she is set to begin a university music program, aiming to further explore and shape her sound.
Keep your eyes on this girl; she is the future. Her debut EP is due on September 12th. We’ll be counting down the days.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
