A guitar strumming pulls the listener in, as the lead singer of a decade-long group, The Vamps, Bradley Simpson, begins delivering stunning vocals. This is his first single as a soloist, but have no fear, this doesn’t mean the famous British group has decided to part ways just yet (Blame One Direction for associating the words ‘hiatus’ and ‘solo’ with a band’s breakup)!
Simpson also has plans for an album as stated in their Instagram story yesterday. The powerful alternative single, “Cry At the Moon” has gained steam on Spotify with almost 200,000 streamers and Simpson is now at a promising number of over 73,000 listeners.
“Cry at the Moon” is singlehandedly one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, hands down. It has everything: an exciting blend of acoustic and rock-like beat that then merges with that beautiful voice of his and poetic lyrics that pull your heart’s strings.
The song—as hinted at before—begins with an acoustic. Vocals can be first heard at the 15-second mark with Simpson explaining that he will see the girl that (supposedly) broke up with him as a “stone-cold killer” with magnetic eyes: “Couple stone-cold killers / I got behind those eyes / That’s where I’m always gonna see ya / That’s where time goes to die / All lips, no filler / It’s all sun, no shade / I thought that we were on the run ’til you went and hit the brakes.”
The song continues flowing into an acoustic-like session with the listener, with a glimpse of the chorus, as Simpson sings that he cries at the moon now, asking why the girl has left him. He feels blocked in a depression-like state (hence the lyrics “I’m all wrapped up in chains”), which can be seen here: “Now I cry at the moon / She don’t shine quite like you / I’m all wrapped up in chains / No matter what I do / There’s no coming back from you.” (0:40)
The magnificent blend of electric guitar and drums pull the listener into the alternative vibes that the song gives, as Simpson’s vocals pick up strength, pointing out the way the girl made Simpson feel; she was his only hope for living and he couldn’t move on from her just yet, as seen in the third verse: “You were my hope dope dealer / Knew how to have a good time / I was your lovesick hеaler / Hell, I tried, Looking back in thе mirror / It’s only showing me truth / No matter how far I run / there’s no coming back from you.” (1:04)
The chorus blows into a full rock-alternative mode, which is meant to blow your mind yet make you feel like you could relate to his heartbreak. Simpson also adds two new questions he asks himself: “And I wonder what you do / Do you lay in the pines? / Do your wishes come true?”
The bridge brings the listener in an alternative-dream-like vibe as the singer seems to slow down time for a brief moment and points out that the girl gave him more lies than being truthful in their past relationship, especially the night she left him, explaining that leaving was cruel of her: “Little lies, no truth, That night came in too soon, So cruel, so cruel, so cruel, Little lies like you do, That sunset over you, So cruel, so cruel, so cruel.” (2:02)
The song concludes with a high note from Simpson that was amazing to hear, including a strong guitar and drum riff. This song is truly a masterpiece and I recommend it to anyone who loves alternative-rock lover.
You can even secure your ticket to see some of his songs played live as Simpson is now on a brief and small yet intimate tour throughout 2024, having begun already in London at small venues like “The 100 Club” with four sold out dates this month on March 19th through the 23rd.
The next upcoming dates are in the United States, on May 6th in New York, at the small venue “Baby’s All Right,” in Brooklyn. Simpson will be there for the second time (the first time was with “The Vamps” a few years prior), after mentioning that he produced the entirety of his upcoming album in Flushing, Queens, in his most recent Instagram story. The second date is the following day, May 7th, in Los Angeles. The tour will wrap up in Europe, from the 28th to the 30th of May in Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam respectively.
The singer has a bright future ahead as a solo singer, and it seems like The Vamps will be back again next year, so fans are in for more content. For right now, you should definitely give “Cry At The Moon” a listen!