You Satisfied?

With just two singles to her name, London-based artist Lana Abi Rached may be new to the music scene, but she’s already showing enough emotional depth and raw talent to compete with the best of them. She uses her expressive voice and experimental approach to give a platform to those too often overlooked by our increasingly insular Western culture. Her latest single, “You Satisfied,” carries that same sense of purpose, grappling with hurt and loss while maintaining a defiance and determination that we can all aspire to.

The song opens with a classic sounding indie electric guitar strumming a four-chord progression. Drums gradually fade in behind it, giving the recording a loose, almost demo-like quality. Importantly, none of the instruments pull attention away from the powerful vocals: “Fresh out of tears. You satisfied? Choked by the darkness that was out of sight, the tyranny from deep inside.” Her voice threatens to break under the emotional weight of the words, and it’s one of two things that drew me to the song immediately. The lyrics themselves aren’t especially complex, but they’re delivered with such conviction that their meaning almost feels secondary. You understand what she’s trying to convey because you can hear her feeling every word.

The transition into the chorus is one of the song’s smartest musical turns. I try not to get too technical in these reviews, but bear with me here. The verse is anchored in C♯ minor and closes with a short descending figure from A to G♯ to F♯. Just when it seems like the song will continue moving downward (or at least return home to the C♯ minor), that final F♯ rises by a half step into the G major chord that opens the chorus. It’s a small shift, but it feels like the floor suddenly tilting beneath the song – in a great way. Over the heavier guitar riffs, the melody accompanying the repeated refrain, “You’ve got to run, run, run again,” is hauntingly simple and incredibly effective.

The song closes on an anthemic note: “My voice is loud, my head held high, while you are bored out of your mind.” So, good prevails and all is right with the world again. “You Satisfied” is an impressive production for an artist this early in her career. With her willingness to put everything out there and experiment with unexpected melodies and musical choices, I expect plenty of good things to come from Lana in the future.