Liverpool's LARO brings girlboss vibes in the form of a biting breakup banger.
There are four constants in life: death, taxes, losing my plectrum as soon as I put it down - and people writing breakup songs. I think most people reading will have either gone through one, watched someone go through one, heard a song about one or seen a film about one. Breakup songs are pretty inescapable and, really, you'd think people would get bored of listening to them. But I think love, relationships, and therefore breakups, are complicated and they surprise us every time with how much they make us feel - and it's that feeling that we tap into every time a good one crosses our paths.
To misquote the great Paul McCartney, "some people want to fill the world with silly breakup songs". Well, what's wrong with that? I'd like to know.
Because here we go again.
LARO has thankfully seemed to discover her self-worth, clearly coming out of a toxic relationship. Tonally, it's what you'd expect from a track dealing with moving on and trying to be more positive in her life choices. It's both upbeat and a little angry. In this sense, it definitely takes from some pop-punk influences, but mainly fits into the 'girlboss' genre of Maisie Peters and Dylan. Throughout, there are crunchy guitars paired with electric drums and some synth noises in the back of the mix. It's a combination that definitely works, and gives it a more radio-friendly feel than if it were solely live instruments.
LARO's timbre is naturally quite bright and so there's a sweet vulnerability there which pulls me in a bit, I'm rooting for her emotionally. There's something about the lyrical flow that makes me enjoy the melody (and generally the vocals) a lot. It's not intricate poetry; it's raw and bitter, conjuring images of LARO holding her head up as she rises above her ex-lover, but not without throwing some shade behind her. I'd say her vocals are probably the main attraction, and I actually wish they'd pop slightly more in the mix to really showcase them.
I'm not a massive fan of the production of the drums, the kick being just a bit harsh for me. Otherwise the actual performance of the drums is perfectly fine and gives the song a bit more of a pop edge, contrasting with the guitars and placing it safely into alternative pop's sphere of influence. However, in quieter moments, the headphone bleed is a bit noticeable. While that can sometimes be an artistic choice and I've heard it work before, here it distracts from the track a little and I think it's a shame. Thankfully, the song jumps back into gear and the chorus sees us out to the end.
I really enjoy the main hook of this track, if I haven't said that enough, and I think it could lend itself really well to a TikTok trend and could be marketed effectively. I think there's probably some kind of stigma about this line of commentary, especially from 'hard-core' music lovers, who may believe that to be a bad thing. I'd argue, however, that in this era of music and marketing it actually just makes a tonne of sense to write songs like this. 'Good Guy' proudly flexes its chorus and keeps the verse melody clear and shoutable. great for live settings, great for mouthing along to online. It's unashamedly pop-py but has a bit of bite as well.
All in all, it's a very solid cut from an artist still emerging into the scene.
'Good Guy' is an anthem for those who are going through something similar, who are maybe moving on from relationships that weren't helping their mental health, or for those who still a little raw and angry from past experiences.
LARO's an artist we're certainly keeping an eye on, and another recent addition to the growing line-up of young female artists in Liverpool (see our review of Ria Hanley's latest single).
So, why not give it a spin?!
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