Siblings Will Gao and Olivia Hardy have leaned into dramatic, coming-of-age style choruses, with the song highlighting dreamlike nostalgia and the persistence of the past.
The track opens with hauntingly stunning vocals, before being jump-started by kick drums and glittering synths. Themes of journey and travel are prominent from the opening with lyrics such as "Stuck on a bus and find myself crying / Nowhere to go, and it's cold", echoing the ominous nature of transition and growth.
The chorus is ignited by lyrics like "As long as I'm alive, I'm running" to emulate the fast-paced nature of the track as the listener is taken through an elevated journey of self-discovery and remiscence. The song handles complex ideas of attempts to find a place in both a new life and one left behind.
It epitomises the struggle between finding comfort in the familiar but wanting to nurture a need to escape with lyrics like "It feels like everything and nothing now" followed by "Back again, right back again" repeated to form the shimmering post-chorus.
Wasia Project have taken a beautifully haunting approach to nostalgia in their new track, discussing how memory is not frozen in time, but bleeds into all future choices. They effortlessly blend evocative lyricism with cinematic instrumentation to craft their own version of a hazy, coming-of-age journey.
Ariana Boga
Image: 'Bleeding Gold' Official Single Cover