I’ve had This Is What I Live For — the last album from That Old Quiet Lighthouse — in my rotation since I covered its release, which was… around this time last year? That can’t be right. I’m getting old. In any case, I’ve been chomping at the bit for some new music from Manchester’s own Ashley Garrod, and 2026 has brought two new singles from the songwriter: “Hands Up” and the subject of this post, “Special Boy”.
The latest single from Garrod keeps up the “indie-emo-folk” sound that was so prevalent on the previous album, but the opening riff gives off definite Midwestern emo vibes. American Football meets Alex G as Garrod balances soft moments in the verses with heavier choruses; the latter explode with roaring rhythm guitars and conviction in the vocals. Those choruses also feature fellow Mancunian artist Mars Blossom on vocal harmonies, providing an extra punch to the music.
Garrod has always centered his music around self-examination and introspection: This Is What I Live For, for example, focused on the songwriter’s relationships with art, identity, gender, and perseverance through trauma. On “Special Boy”, Garrod sings about his personal mental health journey in the form of a message to his younger self. He says about the track:
“It evolved from considering the difficult feelings I had as a young person as a weakness, as many people do, into thinking about what kind of lyrical reassurance I could offer that person; almost like writing music now for it to travel back in time to my younger self.”
The chorus of the song reflects these feelings:
You’re a legend if you’re crying,
It gives all that you invest in joy
It is not a sign of weakness,
It’s a sign you’re a very special boy
I spent a good amount of my childhood in my feelings, and growing up I heard so much about how it wasn’t masculine to cry or feel emotion. And while that nonsense mostly came from Internet trolls and misguided colleagues, it was hard not to take those jabs to heart. Now, however, I know it’s healthy to be in touch with myself, and that it also took a lot of self-discovery and reflection to get to this point.
I’ve always thought about what it would be like to actually go back in time and tell that to my younger self. Unfortunately, the laws of time and space make that impossible for me, and it makes it impossible for Garrod to tell his younger self the same. But “Special Boy” is a pretty good effort from the songwriter to talk to the past, and for me, it hits hard.
Take a listen to “Special Boy” below.
Written by Will Sisskind
