Titled "What God Would Keep Us Apart", TYGERMYLK's new release shows a different side to Pride than that of partying, glitter, and conspicuous rainbows. The single tells the story of Hayley Harland's first love, who – when her parents discovered their daughter's relationship, and by association, her sexuality – was locked away for two weeks, and only allowed her to show her face once she agreed to two conditions: she would pretend to be straight, and she would break off her relationship with Harland.
Despite its affecting, even traumatic narrative, "What God Would Keep Us Apart" manages to be a delicate, uplifting slice of lilting balladry. It chronicles a gentle, considered acceptance of what came to pass, and although its open ending may not seem happy in any traditional sense, it sees Harland wishing only the best to her past love: "you can find a nice girl – much nicer than me!"
Beneath the emotional swell of Harland's vocal sweep loops of honey-sweet strings, building to a climax as modest as befits the weighty story they carry.
"We wanted to keep the intimacy of the demo, and so the acoustic guitar and vocal is the one constant throughout," Harland explains, of her work on the track with guitarist and producer Tom Bellis. "We added a wash of sounds around it to make it feel nostalgic, because for me, I had to travel back in time to write this. It's only because of the courageousness of others that I've been able to open up about this experience and it was a huge relief to finish recording, a weight off my chest. In the studio, I could barely get through singing it without crying because had the sense that this was something really important – if only one 17-year-old who’s going through a similar thing hears this, it would have all been worth it."
"What God Would Keep Us Apart" is the first track to be taken from TYGERMYLK's debut EP, I Killed The Bees, due out at the end of this year.
