Words By: Claire Hendrix
Typically wincing at a title reminiscent of the dreaded label of sad girl music, I go ahead and type this out knowing exactly how I felt listening to Faye Webster’s newest single, But Not Kiss.
As I sat in traffic, I sat back and reflected on each close friendship that I’ve watched fall apart over the last tenish years of my life. Webster, who often bluntly states the most gutting sentiment in just a few words, released her single early Tuesday morning and summarized something everyone can relate to - missing someone purposefully far away. Missing someone enough to hope you have a dream where things can be back to normal for just a minute, but to be lucky enough to forget what you dreamt when you wake up.
Visually, this appears to be Weyes Blood’s It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody’s less sinister second act. Lyrically, it’s a similar statement: we all struggle with the same things. However, we don’t all have the dancing, cannibalistic iPhone that Natalie Mering does.
I often find myself looking for art that isn’t necessarily centered around romantic love. Everyone grieves, but platonic love is usually wept over privately. Friendship has often been a much harder loss, but simultaneously so often brushed off as not as big of a deal (it’s worse). While Webster’s pen isn’t specifically pointed in this direction, who would I be if I couldn’t project onto something?
But Not Kiss reminds me of every homoerotic close friendship I’ve ever had. And, as homoerotic friendships usually go, they all ended horribly with us never being able to look at each other again. Bound to bump into each other at least one more time before one of us finally leaves Florida, we’ll mumble a gentle ‘sorry,’ and feel weird for the rest of the day. You’ll shortly return to smiling over things you used to enjoy together, like cotton candy sunsets and pretending to like Pink Floyd for the sake of the poster in your room. It won’t always be sad to remember it all.
Ambiguous yet so headstrong, Webster perfectly encapsulates the feeling of knowing exactly what you want but why you’ll never reach back for it. Understanding that it’s often the right thing to let things be, but still allowing yourself three minutes to yearn before getting lost in her iconic lap steel to close it out.
Faye Webster is on tour this fall. Tickets are on sale now with presale code BUTNOTKISS.
Oct. 17 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Oct. 18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Oct. 20 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner
Oct. 21 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
Oct. 24 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
Oct. 25 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
Oct. 27 - Toronto, ON - History
Oct. 29 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theater
Oct. 30 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Nov. 2 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo
Nov. 3 - Vancouver, BC - The Vogue
Nov. 4 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Nov. 7 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
Nov. 8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Novo
Nov. 9 - Los Angeles, CA - The Novo
Nov. 10 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
Nov. 12 - Dallas, TX - The Factory
Nov. 13 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
Nov. 14 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Nov. 16 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
Nov. 17 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
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