Los Angeles’ dystopian synth queen Whitney Mower aka They/Live returns with an acoustic version of her heart wrenching anthem “Circles.”
The track is from her debut album Ablation, which was released in May. The track is one of two acoustic reworkings as part of an extended edition of the album from Philly label Born Losers Records and Russian label Other Voices Records.
The original version is a poised, confident track about an absence of reciprocated emotion felt between two lovers in a dissolving relationship. A sensual bassline combined with atmospheric synthesizers and Mower’s bold vocal performance creates a self-assured statement of pop prowess.
The songs’ beauty loses no potency on the stripped down performance. A solemn guitar echoes slowly with each graceful strum as Mower’s delivery remains uncompromised. “Gave you my heart, made no mistake when I kissed you / Now it’s the part where my tears run in circles around you,” Mower gently sings before the emotional swell builds into a cathartic release.
Mower said she was reinvigorated with the sound of an unamplified guitar while breaking “Circles” down to its core.
“Something about this arrangement takes it to a darker and more vulnerable emotional strata,” she said.
You can listen to the track below and purchase the album here.