As much as we may strive to stay above it, there is always a time for bottoming out. Singer-songwriter Gatlin has provided one of the most searing songs of the year thus far to soundtrack just such a moment with her latest single, “Lonely Life”.
Across the musically restrained ballad, she gives into her fears and, yes, some self-pity and paranoia, but it’s instantly striking and relatable to any of us who fear being perpetually alone. It’s a balm for our weakest instances and deepest fears.
When she sings, “Think all my friends hate me / Nobody’s trying to date me,” or, “…it’s all good / I’ll just never be understood,” they read as private thoughts, quickly jotted down, before being shared with the world.
Gatlin reflects, “‘Lonely Life’ is one of those just ‘fell out in thirty minutes’ kind of songs. Robyn Dell’Unto and I sat outside in her yard and caught up while petting her eight cats. We chatted about relationships and ended up working on this track. I shared that I’ve always felt very different and like it is hard for me to make lasting relationships, so this song perfectly encapsulates all of those emotions. It’s a song about feeling super isolated in my own brain with the fear that I’m going to end up alone and never fully known. I brought the song to Gabe Goodman and together we brought it into this indie space that I think really allows it to shine lyrically.“
Check out “Lonely Life” below, along with its video (or listen on streamers), which finds the singer as a “glamorous cat lady”, and stay tuned for more from Gatlin soon.
