This song came on while I was in the car last week, one of my mix playlists on Spotify. Mr F asked me when this song came out. I said ‘Last year’, to which he replied ‘It’s a good one’.
Spotify reminded me how much I loved this song in 2022’s Wrapped as this song and the album Sticking With It was all over my top 5. What makes it so good? Let me tell you about 3 minutes and 21 seconds of awesomeness.
The intro is short, so quickly we’re in the first verse:
How they hang around, like echoes in a chamber
Floating in and out from minor into major
Wanted you to feel like you could really trust me but maybe
I just don’t deserve it
But when you think it through
I’m hoping that you
Realize that I have always been beside you
Sand between our fingers
Time is always movin’ along
The Dip – Real Contender
There’s some lovely imagery in there, it feels quite intangible until it explains what’s going on in the relationship. There’s bright guitar, crisp drums and double bass, followed by some horn lines that push things along and a gorgeous backing vocal ‘Here and then it’s gone’, which is in actuality there and gone before the chorus.
In the chorus, the horns provide a beautiful base for Tom Eddy’s vocals, which reflects on being a real prospect for someone who has been in your life for some time, but perhaps you’re only now starting to acknowledge how you feel about them. I like this idea because I’ve always wanted to be the best version of myself for Mr F. I think the right person makes you want to try hard, keep yourself happy and growing, as much for yourself as for them.
As with “Eye in The Sky” which I covered in my last post, the music and drums also pull back at the end of the chorus, leaving only the rattle of a tambourine and the vocal line before going into the next verse.
We get 2 new lines as a break between the second and final chorus. The song doesn’t try to do anything flashy at this point, the vocal only escalates right at the end of the chorus before dropping back to allow the intro riff to come back and fade out.
I really like how the song feels so solid, reinforcing the line ‘For once in my life I am sure of something’. And as I have always thought it’s incredibly attractive for someone you like to tell you with confidence and certainty that they want you, it just makes me root for the imaginary couple and hope there’s a happy ever after.