By Joseph Purcell

Growing from hushed beginnings into a rolling assortment of gritty off-kilter guitars and serene string peaks, Norwegian indie folk act, Louien’s new single, Better Woman, is centred on an argument between two partners told from our narrator’s viewpoint.

While she is deeply in love, she is struggling to get through – reflecting on her own failings, ‘I’d give anything to be a better woman’, and the track is filled with an angst fuelled by her continual questioning of her own flaws. The imagery of isolation is spellbinding and heartfelt, ‘So I laid down beside you, you’re already asleep / You’ve given up on us, so I am giving up on me.’ Physically close, but emotionally distant.

Clinging onto the ever-burdening glimpse of hope, she almost begs, ‘Come lay down with me, my heart will always be yours‘, as she bursts through the web of internal conflict – clinging to the optimism of a redemption. To draw empathy from her audience is perhaps Louien’s ultimate skill. And willing to cast everything aside for one more moment together, she gently confirms that she can’t be at peace because ‘there might still be hope‘ – a ‘hope’ that by the end of this song, we are emotionally invested in.

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