Tessa Violet’s new single ‘Words Ain’t Enough’ is a mournful, emotive and powerful piece of music that just about nails the nuances of heartbreak in the most thoughtful, heartfelt way.

The slow, aching strumming of the guitar grounds the song in an inherent poignancy, as Violet contemplates upon a relationship dragging and fading away. The title of the song may be referring to how Violet’s partner in question fails to act affectionately, substituting banal phrases for meaningful actions but her words certainly are enough, enough in chronicling the pain and frustrations of a relationship. With a relatively short runtime of just above two minutes, ‘Words Ain’t Enough’ is not aiming for intricate production or complex pop techniques; it is just a raw, honest confession set to gentle guitar strings and hollow, gospel-esque background vocals. 

Violet’s voice is measured but earnest, her words incomplete but sincere; she exemplifies how music can resonate with a host of listeners purely by means of a shared sense of grief and loneliness. Violet originally began her career in the spotlight as a Youtube vlogger, her radiant personality garnering her countless number of views and subscriptions. She specialized in skits, performances, and music videos, so it is quite fascinating to see Violet tone down her theatrics and focus on a simple ballad. Her first album Maybe Trapped Mostly Troubled was released in 2014 and in the five years since, she has worked on her EP, released her second album Bad Ideas, been featured on Youtube’s Artists on the Rise platform and gotten involved in a number of collaborations with other artists including Dodie Clark, Lauren Aquilina, Orla Gartland among others. 

Speaking on her new album, she says:

I wrote the album as an album, you take something different and more complete when you listen to it all together. Initially we’d considered the idea of three EPs just because i am still a relatively new artist and there wasn’t much demand, but things have taken off a bit this year! I cried happy tears when we made the call.”

Just as she has those upbeat, bass-driven pop songs in the album, she also makes it a point to produce beautiful, gentle pieces for the heart. 

 Indie-pop