London-based artist Lily Moore is back with a new song “Hard Days Love,” and her return shows just how much her absence was felt. To make the wait worth it, Moore also took the time to film a music video for “Hard Days Love.”
Moore first debuted in 2018 with an EP called Not That Special, and her mixtape More Moore Mixtape dropped in 2019. Before “Hard Days Love,” Moore’s most recent music video for “Now I Know” was released at the start of 2020. Despite the lengthy time away from studio releases, one would never be able to tell thanks to the caliber of “Hard Days Love.”
The core of the song’s strength lies in Moore’s impressive vocals. Soulful with a slight pop-punk edge, Moore’s voice is a standout on every track she sings, but “Hard Days Love” allows her to truly shine as a vocalist.
While making the notes sound effortless, her timbre and performance give the song an emotional punch. When Moore sings, “Please stay with me” at the beginning of the first chorus, she captures the desperation of the lyrics while still sounding polished.
Production-wise, “Hard Days Love” opens with soft piano notes. As the song grows, so do the instrumentals, but the music never overpowers Moore and simply helps convey the tone of the song.
The music video for “Hard Days Love” is a simple one, and only stars Moore herself. As Moore sings of trying to make a relationship that is not meant to last work out, she climbs over a pile of tires and attempts to complete a rope course over muddy water in a white jumpsuit, getting progressively dirtier as the music video goes on. The obstacles act as perfect metaphors for the relationship Moore sings of.
As with most doomed-relationship songs, “Hard Days Love” is a relatable one. The relationship Moore sings of is not technically over, but that is only because the two cannot bear to let go quite yet.
“Don’t know what it is / But it ain’t love / But I’m too scared to give you up / Used to love every second that we spend / Now we’re just something for the weekends / And I hear you saying / Please stay with me / I know I’m not the right one / But I’m trying to be,” Moore sings.
While the song can be left open for interpretation when the lyrics are taken at face value, the music video alludes to Moore giving up on the relationship and leaving the hardships of love behind.