I’m not sure if life is any easier with a partner around, but when they’re gone, it is easy to feel lonely. What do you do with this empty space that they left behind? Do you fixate on the space? Do you cry about the space? Do you have nightmares about the space? Until that space either gets filled or ignored, there’s not much you can do…
…unless you’re Francesca Fuentes. For the past four years, the former MTV Spankin’ New artist has been working on her upcoming full-length album Promise of Patience. It is a project that came out of solitude and the struggle of being alone, left with nothing but an empty space and lonely thoughts. It will explore Fuentes’s breakup journey, which is full of honesty, vulnerability, and raw emotion. She introduces us to this journey with Promise of Patience’s lead single, “Barely Breathin’.”
Produced by Michael Flannery, “Barely Breathin’” leans into the sound of early 2000s pop. It is acoustic guitar-led and supported by live drums, which both evoke a sense of charm and joy. Meanwhile, Fuentes gives us details about life without her former partner. With a bittersweet tone, she sings, “I need to focus on why / We need this space and time,” and observes, “I’m barely breathin’ without you.” While she still clings to hope that this person will come back into her life, she can’t ignore the distance that plays out for now.
“Barely Breathin’” follows Fuentes’s win at the Garden State Film Festival for her music video “I Just Wanna Be Your Lover Again.” You can listen to “Barely Breathin’” here.
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