A track that refuses to be bound by genre or any expectations, Burning Bridges is the dramatic new single from London-based artist Liya Shapiro.

By Graeme Smith

Feature photo by Serge Kozlik

Mental breakdown doesn’t always come all at once. In fact, it rarely does. It can be a slow-burning experience, felt in cycles that cause a slow descent. Often, it can feel like we’re bringing that destruction on ourselves through our own behaviour. I can speak from experience that it’s a frustrating feeling.

Burning Bridges, the new single from Liya Shapiro, captures the feeling well, not only revealing much about her as a person, but also giving those of us who have also struggled something to relate to. And she does it in a style that only she can.

Shapiro has a multidisciplinary background in History of Art, Fashion Journalism and Medical Anthropology and her musical influences range from indie rock, dream pop, post-punk, to jazz and chanson. As such, Burning Bridges is a beautifully undefinable song.

It gives us soft alternative rock opened by meditative piano and mournful strings. After the instrumental sets the mood, Shapiro’s soft and expressive vocals come in. There’s a heart-breaking quality to them as they tell an emotional story. After the first verse, the instrumental ups the drama. Percussive waves create a stirring atmosphere before things explode into life with edgy riffs and psychedelic undertones. A fiery guitar solo provides a late track highlight and things end much as they began, soft but with an added poignancy given what came before.

Lyrically, the track takes on the chaos that can come from mental health issues, including emotional collapse and self-sabotage, and the way it rises and falls reflect its message powerfully. There’s a confessional vulnerability to it all that really draws you in as listener, and Shapiro’s vocal charm really makes the track.

Regular readers of this blog will know I have a love for anything that doesn’t comfortably fit the mould. Liya Shapiro’s music does that with bells on. The creativity on display in Burning Bridges is breath-taking. Shapiro’s vulnerability, too, makes it a must-listen.

The track is out now on all the usual streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. On the latter it can be purchased as a digital single.

If you want to know more about Liya Shapiro, you can find her on Instagram and TikTok, and check out her website.

You can listen to Burning Bridges below.

Supported by Musosoup #SustainableCurator