England’s Eden Rain has come off supporting acts for SOFY, English Teacher and Lola Young with a modern take on indie rock in latest single “It’s Always Been Like This.” With its crisp sound and buttery vocals, the song is an admission of instability in Rain’s life.
Starting off the song is a tight, close drum kit and rhythm guitar as Rain reveals that “I’m turning into dust again / Coming off of my meds.” As the song progresses, more guitars are added to fuel the energy without overcomplicating the sound. With the fuzziness of the guitars, some light, soft and quiet keys are sprinkled throughout “It’s Always Been Like This” to offer a more balanced sound. Helping with this is the bass line that grounds the lower frequencies against Rain’s smooth vocals. The mixing of the song keeps the soundscape pretty raw, with the exception of the heavily distorted guitar solo in the bridge. While the song doesn’t have a strong build, the instrumentation has a steady pace that helps with the journalistic approach to the lyrics.
As noted before, the song feels like an admission of instability and the lyrics read as if they were ripped out of a therapy session. The second verse’s “I don’t think I’m blind to the way that I’m being / I’m just not one to try and punish a feeling” is a self-deprecating reflection and acceptance of Rain’s faults. There are two phases in the chorus as Rain first rejects “just tiptoeing round broken bits,” before admitting that the chaos of Rain’s life has “always been like this.” Keeping in the style of indie rock, the lyrics balance crude with an organic vulnerability.
Eden Rain’s music basks in its rawness and vulgarity with the pitfalls of life. “It’s Always Been Like This” is another exploration of these concepts, and is set to feature on Rain’s upcoming EP. Stream “It’s Always Been Like This below or wherever you find your music.
