Yes, James Arthur is back to add that touch of gloom to our summer and make us more reflective of past relationships. Oh, why do we always love the ones who leave us? If it’s grit, vulnerability, and raw emotion you want from a song, “Blindside” can offer you that with a sprinkle of lyrical perfection.
“Summer ends and Autumn starts, all fading into one / But I know time left its scars/Never change, oh, my God / You were so caught up in your ways / You came for my cautious heart,” he sings, with his natural low voice laden with such emotion, you are immediately drawn to pay close attention to the lyrics.
Of the track, James comments, “Blindside is a song I’ve wanted to write for years, about falling in love with the right person at the wrong time. It’s an energetic song with a sad lyric and it really suited this new rawer style I was after.”
The accompanying music video is no less as emotional as the track itself. It opens by introducing us to different couples of different ethnicities making love, while Arthur is shown singing at different locations. Further on, the beautiful love these couples shared burns out, and one of each couple is seen mourning the times they shared together and missing the other. At one point, we’re shown Arthur’s face, but it’s all battered up and bleeding.
Tim Mattia, the director of the music video, said that each of the scenes is made to represent lines in the song. “Blindside is such a raw and emotional track, and when James and I spoke about how it came to be written, and the meaning behind the lyrics, I immediately knew we had to capture some epic performances from him, carrying on with the Americana feel of our previous video for ‘A Year Ago,’” he said. “We tied in a series of dramatic and emotional narrative scenes, showing the sudden loss of love in relationships, and a scene in which James gets literally more and more bloodied and bruised as the song progresses – the physical embodiment of his emotional pain.”
This is truly a striking heartbreaking song, driven by a top-down chorus and Arthur’s impressive belt. It marks the beginning of a new era for the artist, who is said to be currently in the studio working on a new record.
