[Eisley photo provided by contributor]
“Defeatist” by Eisley
A friend of mine introduced me to Eisley as a way to ease the pain I felt when the drummer from the Colourist, one of my favorite artists in recent years, left the band. She would be the second member to leave the band in less than a year. I didn’t think they would survive; I needed a new favorite and Eisley hit the spot! They have melodic sound that’s easy on the ears and generally evokes happy vibes. However, their song “Defeatist”, leans slightly more pensive, stands out to me. It reminds me of a past relationship. An on again off again whirlwind filled with challenges that seemed simple to me but complicated to her. I’ve always felt that she gave up, that she was a defeatist, despite all that we did, she just couldn’t reconcile how she felt. This song encapsulates that story a bit and romanticizes it a lot. It makes me think about the happily ever after that could have been. A bittersweet song that I enjoy listening to regardless of the hurt. I saw them at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco in March 2017 with my friend who told me about them of course.
5songpjct: Was Colourist your saddest band break up?
Lawrence: Not really, I actually listen to more female singer-songwriters than bands, but I did have a scare this week when The Naked and Famous announced that two members were leaving. I was relieved when they said that they were working on a new album. I’d be more concerned with The Naked and Famous breaking up than the Colourist. I’d only discovered the Colourist fairly recently and they were kind of new and on their way up and suddenly one band member leaves. Then the drummer and she’s so good. She sang lead vocals on a bunch of their songs. It’s hard for a band to keep going after one of the main vocalists leave. I was looking forward to them making more albums, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
5songpjct: Was the relationship you talk about the hardest one you’ve had to get over?
Lawrence: It wasn’t the hardest, but it’s in the top two, no question. She had a profound impact on my life, so I made that connection with this song. There are no easy breakups, at least in my experience.
TOMORROW The xx