“Sharl manages to craft a new sound each single whilst still delivering that alluring quality that captivates us every time.”
The 2022 album City Lights is very much an album of anticipation, but before Australian based pop songstress Sharl is ready to release all her emotions and anecdotes to the world, we have been introduced to a collection of singles. Each one has has brought something new to the table, and now it’s Games‘ time to shine.
Sharl launches straight into the song with opening lyric They tell me love’s a game, I can play it like the best of them. The backing instrumental starts as waves of subtle electronica, evolving into electro pop bliss during the chorus.
The chorus of Games is filled with rhetorical questions like Does this have to be the only way of starting something new?, leaving the lyrics open to many interpretations. Sharl has however given us some insight on the meaning behind the track, saying “This song was written when I was really fed up with dating. It felt like everyone had to put on a facade and act in a certain way to look better instead of being just themselves and being authentic. And that even when I wanted to stop doing that myself, it was such ingrained behaviour that it was hard to change! So it’s kind of a tongue in cheek description of the whole situation, an admission that I was guilty of doing the same things that other people were and overall it just wasn’t good for anyone!”
A beguiling bridge follows the chorus. The melody speeds up a little to match Sharl’s impassioned expression of emotion. Let’s also not forget the remarkable high note from Sharl, flowing into the smooth transition from bridge to chorus that was exceptionally executed.
Something you’ll notice is demonstrated from start to finish of Games is this addictive almost digital sound that establishes the upbeat energy this song possesses. Sharl spoke on this herself. “I wrote this song without a clear idea for production, initially I thought it could work well as an acoustic guitar track!” she said.
She continued, “But working with my producer, we decided to take it in a complete different direction and run with the theme of “games”, bringing in video game inspired sounds and pushing the song into a whole new level. The sound felt quite “out there” to me at first with all the different sonic elements but I really love it and it’s one of my favourite tracks on the album.”
You can listen to the song here:
And here: