Stripping everything back to the bare bones, his raw and tender vocals shine through with only a piano to accompany them. It’s certainly one of the more vulnerable releases, a gut-wrenching song where begging for love to stay during tough times is the key message. Featuring lyrics including “‘cause the pills don’t work, they just make it worse / won’t you stay, love when everybody’s leaving? / to get me through the evening”, there’s a particular charm to them. The Glaswegian has always been good at writing lyrics that others can relate to and this is evident here yet again.
Starting off slowly with its melodic piano lines before crescendoing into a complete spiral of emotions before gently coming back down, it’s understandable why the single has already received critical acclaim and snaked its way into the heart of listeners, despite only being dropping this past week.
Released ahead of his imminent sold-out American tour dates, supported by British artist Joy Crookes, ‘Stay Love’ marks itself as Capaldi’s biggest single as of yet.
Madi Briggs
Image: ‘Survive’ Official EP Cover