“So Hard to Tell”, the lead single from Debby Friday’s upcoming debut, Good luck, opens with a cunning smoke screen. At first, she strikes the steely, sinister pose of the Toronto artist’s usual steely electronica, unleashing a mangled industrial synth and a defensive warning: “They mean to hurt you!” But she soon breaks out into softness, like feathers sprouting from a pillow. Friday steps back, leaving her falsetto unaffected by his usual vocal modulations. She wants to be the unflappable party girl, but her raw emotions prove too overwhelming: “Is this heaven or hell?” she sings, releasing a painful cry of internal turmoil. In contrast to the pulse-pounding tempos and thumping synths of her earlier music, her production is slick and elegant, with a bouncy beat and cascading choruses. “Lady Friday/All you do is rеbel,” Friday scolds herself: harsh words against a fragile, beautiful sound.
Debby Friday: “So Hard to Tell” Track Review
