Where does time go? If you’ve been following along with me this week, you’ll know that a confluence of events plunged me into the age when days seemingly lasted forever and weeks even longer. Despite the perceived expanse of the daily cadence, however, dramas always played out at a whirlwind pace at school, the local mall, and during pick-up games of this or that sport. Par for the course, right? That one of life’s oddities has to do with perception of time, then, isn’t much of a surprise; most everyone of a certain age can attest how the endless summers of our youths now pass in the proverbial blink of an eye. Yet, even with that, there are still moments when the clock’s hands seemingly slow. Heartbreak is one.
Dutch-Irish singer-songwriter Jane Willow, who first turned my ears in 2018, hones in on the elastic nature of time and heartache over the course of her new EP, Watch Me Fall. It opens with the stark title track, which plumbs the darkness that takes hold when love falters—but refuses to wholly give herself over to it: “Oh watch me break/but leave me be/‘cause between the cracks/there’s still some light to see.”
“Giving Up” continues with the fallow mood, recounting how her partner simply wasn’t there for her, while “Letting You Go” finds her coming to terms with the relationship’s end. All three songs are gorgeous miniatures, featuring herself (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars), Kevin Corcoran (piano, bass, synths), and Anthony Gibney (electric guitar).
The Bandcamp version adds an additional song, “To Love Again,” that chisels the aforementioned cracks wider, allowing more light to shine through. It’s a beautiful song that, in and of itself, is worth the EP’s purchase price.
The Old Grey Cat 