Premiere: Bridget Kearney Shares New Single 'Comeback Kid'
New album Return child It will be released on April 12 via Keeled Scales
08 April 2024
Photo by Audrey Steimer
Bridget Kearney is probably best known for her work with the successful pop-soul outfit Lake Street Dive, but in recent years she has also built a thriving solo career, releasing a trio of albums most recently, Serpents in Paradise, which arrived last year. Later this week, Kearney is fast-tracking a new album, Return child, arriving April 12 via Keeled Scales. He's already shared a number of new singles from the record, and today he's back with the album's title track, premiering with Under the Radar.
Return child The whole thing finds Kearney occupying a spacey and stripped-down style of indie pop, joined by layers of vintage synths and atmospheric production. The opening moments of the title track strip those layers even further, accompanying Kearney's vocals with only a distant piano rumble. As the song unfolds, Kearney joins in with a haunting rhythm section and dreamy vocals, elevating the track into a wistful and hazy reverie. However, he also anchors these evocative aesthetic touches with instrumentals and luscious melodies, bringing them a sense of grounded familiarity.
Kearney explains of the track, “I found the phrase 'come back kid' to be inspirational as it relates to resilience and perseverance. In the context of this record, I think of it mostly in terms of being able to overcome a lot of heartbreak and still believe in love. Playing with language, I realized that there were many ways to redefine the word “return”. The song features a few different renditions. “The jerk store call and they're out of you” comes from a famous episode of Seinfeld, “I know you are, but what am I?” it's a schoolyard classic and the 'hail mary' in the second verse is a reference to sports comebacks, trying to make a big play at the last minute to miraculously work your way to victory when it seemed all but impossible. This can happen in a relationship too, just making some ridiculous attempts to save the thing from falling apart when it seemed like all hope was lost.
The trick to the song is that it's not really about winning. The narrator is called “the return child” because they are always begging their lover to “come back” to them. The happy ending is when he finally learns to get off the field and leave the game.”
Check out the song and video below. Return child out April 12 via Keeled Scales.
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