With the semester a little over halfway through for most college students, I can’t but be brought back to freshman year — a time filled with all sorts of memories such as new friends, new teachers, and watching so many high school relationships that didn’t make it through that first year. Late Cambrian — a male and female electro pop duo from Brooklyn, NY — touches on this transition through their track “February”.
Despite the sad subject matter, the song opens with a surprisingly upbeat grungy guitar and vocals that feel a bit distant and removed from the scene:
“I know it’s terrible to say
and you came all this way
you were my sanctuary
can you leave till February”
On the word “February” the song gets some extra life as a driving percussive force joins in along with a fuller-bodied electric guitar, voice, and even some vocal harmony. It reminds me of how many breakups begin; you don’t know how to start the conversation, but once you get going it accelerates as all the things you thought to say start gushing out of you. You feel guilty that you don’t want to be with them anymore, especially after you’ve invited them over solely to break up with them, but you know that now you’ve started you’ve just got to follow through and let them down as easily as you can.
Amidst talking about cold roommates and whether their roomies desire to be an actuary is even an in demand career path (for those curious, it is), the vocalist makes headway with more beautiful vocal harmonies as he points out one of the cons of being in a relationship:
“together forever is such a hoax
you never meet new folks”
Being so young, the odds are pretty stacked against you. While you’re hoping for the best, chances are that this person you’re dating now won’t be the one you ultimately make your together forever with, especially as life will continue to shape and grow you through the trying times that are young adulthood. The worst part is, you don’t even get to meet new people or experience life as much when you’re worried about someone else.
They repeat the refrain, being more direct this time and explicitly saying they should split, at least until February. Guitar solos rip through the track while the full impact of the break up hits. As there’s a brief deviation from the normal melody, the vocalist hits his main reason why it can’t work anymore:
“we had some fun
but we both know
I am not the one
you crave a home
and I just want to roam”
While they want a serious relationship, you’ve come to realize at this point that you’re not about that. You’d rather live life, explore the world, meet new people, and do all sorts of thing without something as serious as settling down with someone. You just don’t feel ready for it yet.
As the song winds down to an end, the vocalist tries to end things peacefully, admitting that his partner never did anything wrong. He even leaves some room for hope, saying that maybe they could try again four years from now when school’s finished and the bitter winter weather has ended.
