song premiere: "Rough" - Major Pursuit
photo: Ashley Gellman
There's an anguish that comes with realizing the feelings you possess can go unrequited. On "Rough" Major Pursuit perfectly expands on those emotions, using a backing of unrestrained guitar and emotive percussion to flourish even amidst the sadness of a realization. The single comes from an upcoming album titled With Feeling out 5/25 on Utica Records. Major Pursuit showcases a sound of contrasts on their lead single — as soft, seemingly anguished cries meet up with moments of punctuated guitar and cracking percussion. Listen closely enough and you can hear the uncertainty, the moment when lead vocalist and guitarist Olivia Bellito understands that a continuing effort to help someone, the desire to be a friend, to care, is being ignored: "Lost in my own head I’m trying/But you keep me trapped there I swear/What am I supposed to do/When I’m busy taking care of you." It's a powerful few moments and all too accurate portrayal of an experience that we unfortunately may have to encounter. As Bellito explained:
"I wrote “Rough” at a time when I was really frustrated with a situation that I put myself in. I was trying to help someone who obviously did not want my help, and it took me a while to understand that sometimes you have to just let people figure things out on their own. I actually wrote it while the album was already being recorded, so I didn’t know if it would make it onto the record; I’m glad it did, because I think it reflects a heavier side of Major Pursuit that hasn’t been heard up to this point. This song is different from the rest of the album not only in how it sounds, but also stylistically in the sense that it’s more musically-driven than lyrical. It’s a complete 180 from everything I’ve written for Major Pursuit so far, so I think it’s a good way to reintroduce this project before the full album release."