Flyte 'This Is Really Going To Hurt': They really weren't lying

Flyte released their sophomore album, This is Really Going To Hurt on Friday the 9th of April, and boy, they weren’t lying. The band, built on magical three-part harmonies and an effortless indie folk-rock sound, takes you through all the very tangible pain of the demise of a long-term relationship. And although it’s true that there is a lot of pain involved in this music, none of it comes from the quality of the album itself, which is nothing short of astounding.

For an album based entirely upon the breaking down of a relationship, one might assume that the handling of so much grief would become tiresome, but this is absolutely not the case. 

Each song deals with a different layer, a different nuance of the stages of a breakup: the spite, the anger, the complexity of loving and hating someone in equal measure. It’s not a pretty topic, but it forms an emotionally complex and very human piece of work, all of which is packaged in such a way that you might find yourself swaying along before the full rawness of it has a chance to hit you.

 

The development of the ten tracks leaves you with a sense of catharsis and release. There is no denying that this album comes with a heavy dose of anger, and one that is handled with remarkable frankness. In fact, this is the through-line of the entire album. For a band that has spoken almost exclusively about their observations of how others handle their emotions, it is laudable in and of itself that they are baring something so personal to the world in such a way. 

I found some of the lyrics to even border on what could be called ‘ugliness’. By this, I don’t mean that they are bad lyrics, but that the sentiments behind the words are acutely painful. Particular examples of this can be found in songs such as ‘Easy Tiger’ or ‘Trying To Break Your Heart’.

 

Flyte manage to package this immense emotional complexity into easily consumable songs. ‘Losing You’ is a heart-aching number about the phenomenon of hating someone but being unable to get over them; it’s beautifully blunt and never gets boring. ‘I’ve Got A Girl’ is effortlessly cool. 

‘Love is an Accident’ is a painfully relatable song about the inevitability of love, even when you don’t want it. ‘Mistress America’ and ‘There’s A Woman’ speak to a 70’s Americana sound, painting a picture of that Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel era of music; one which arguably still stands as the pinnacle of songwriting. I would say with all confidence that this is a band who could have held their own amongst the greats.

 

I do have my favourites though. ‘Under The Skin’ is in my opinion one of the compositional highlights. It builds incredibly well and manages to musically convey the frustration which the lyrics hint at. I can only imagine what it will feel like when heard live. ‘Never Get To Heaven’ is another personal favourite, rounding out the album with beautiful, solemn, and bittersweet lyrics. The harmonies will stay with you well after the end of the song. 

And finally, in my opinion, the best song of the album; ‘Everyone’s A Winner’. It is beautifully sad, the lyrics are immaculate, with poignant strings offsetting their bitterness, and the final howl of sadness which really makes this one hit home. It’s amazing. Unless you have been somehow blissfully lucky in your relationships, you will find something to relate to on this album.

 

Every time I go to listen to this band’s music, it amazes me that so many other people are missing out on it. So, if you do one thing today, make it taking yourself on the breakup journey of a lifetime with Flyte’s This Is Really Going To Hurt. 

- Chloe Boehm

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Image: (nme.com)