This Can't Go On

Something else I missed off my 2023 list is this single from Bill Ryder- Jones. It came out three months ago but I didn't hear it until I read about it at Khayem's Dubhed. Then I forgot about it and only remembered it again when reading an interview with Bill and went back to it. The song is completely at the edge, strings so close to the precipice they teeter, almost collapsing. Bill's voice sounds like he's on the verge of tears, and there's a video to match, the young boy (Lincoln McDonagh) running away from something, filmed in bleak British landscapes. It's emotive, big sky music but achingly personal too. I think (hope) there's some redemption or at least survival at the end- as the song says, this can't go on. This Can't Go On will be on the album Iechyd Da, recorded at Bill's West Kirby studio, is out next month.