I’ve come to instinctively notice a feature of music that allows me to discern the generation. Almost all of today’s Gen Z artists have tendency to just not capitalise their song titles. When you couple that lower case style with a title as hopelessly pessimistic as ‘this sucks’, well you can bet your dollar that some youthful angst is going to sound quite good.
Cael’s Rex Orange Country influence comes out quite clear on this piece. His soft and understated voice is what sets the piece apart. A quintessential breakup track, Cael confesses that the track was inspired by his own personal life and heartbreak. He says. “It’s essentially a stream of consciousness about a recent breakup I had with my first girlfriend which in short… sucked. I get quite specific and detail oriented here but I also think there are some universal themes here.”
In many ways, ‘this sucks’ is difficult to pin down to a single genre. The tune has hints of singer-songwriter to it, but in other areas it’s distinctively indie pop, and in some other lights it could be viewed as R&B. It’s a unique coming together of different sounds that somehow fuse to create an altogether mellow and enjoyable listen.
“I wasn’t ready to say goodbye/But it seems like you’ve been for a long time” is one of those lines that just hits too close to home for many of us. Cael’s talent as a songwriter is undeniable. His melodies, lyrics, and composition is indicative of someone with industry talent. He’s got a bright future ahead, and you’d do yourself a favour to check him out.
For fans of indie, folk, r&b, or just any classic singer-songwriter anthem, ‘ this sucks’ does something to each of those genres you’ve probably not heard before. Go check Cael out now!
