British Columbia-born singer-songwriter Kandle Osborne has the voice, creativity, and lyrical insight to lift your mood, no matter how low you’re feeling. She’s been getting well-deserved hype under her moniker Kandle, and today you can see why with two brand new songs — “How Can You Hurt Me” and “Little Bad Things” — that she just shared.
Kandle has spent her quarantined days during the coronavirus pandemic recording songs for Untitled, her fourth album. Both of these new tracks come from the upcoming full-length and, considering the situation in which she produced them, sound pretty dang impressive.
In a press release, Kandle explained that “How Can You Hurt Me” came about as a way to reckon with how a breakup impacts her, particularly in regards to keeping track of who she is. “The premise of the song is essentially about self preservation,” said Kandle. “Being completely abandoned by a great love with no explanation and thereafter seeking the cold comfort of an unobtainable, simple relationship inept of love.”
Musically, “How Can You Hurt Me” is a smoky indie pop track filled with jazzy flourishes and comforting vocal harmonies. Kandle sings about being willing to alter herself to better match her lover’s idealized mold. It’s hard to fit the song into one genre because of how much it fluctuates. At one point, she even indulges in an ominous organ solo and makes it feel like a natural fit.
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Then there’s “Little Bad Things”, an acoustic ballad that sees Kandle with her heart on her sleeve. While in a moment of weakness, she asks for forgiveness regarding her desire to change and resolves to overcome any and all roadbumps. The whole thing is set to acoustic guitar strums and layered backing vocals. As such, it balances out “How Can You Hurt Me” perfectly.
Stream both tracks below.
