Harmony Tividad reckons with her inner world on “I’m Still Learning How To Leave You”

Perfectly capturing the feeling of paralysis and exhaustion in love, “I’m Still Learning How To Leave You” is the first track to be released on the run up to Lifetime. Out 16 June via KRO Records, the striking collection of expressive songwriting promises a metamorphosis of identity across its twelve tracks.

Recorded at Hollywood's Sunset Sound in collaboration with Yves Rothman, the production of “I’m Still Learning How To Leave You” stirs emotional immediacy, something that “came to life immediately” in Harmony’s words. “I had a crappy guitar demo, and everyone just learned it. It was pretty much instantly alive.”

“When I am fragile, I watch how you can handle / The pain that is still breaking me.” An instance of Harmony’s devastating lyricism, dragged over the melody in a way that teases out the ache of feeling. Writing about heartbreak is a sure way to feel overexposed, but Harmony doesn’t see the taboo in reopening emotional wounds. “I try not to put my emotions and inner world too much on others,” she says. “Writing is my way of navigating self-sufficiency in my emotional processing.” This is a philosophy the song takes on board: searching and honest in a way that’s real.

Harmony was previously one half of Girlpool, a pair of indie trailblazers dating back to the 2010s. Going solo, she’s creating out a world of her own: “Releasing music is my favourite feeling in the world, other than writing the song itself. The less I limit myself, the potential to feel infinite increases.”

Though the sensitive indie pop of “I’m Still Learning How To Leave You” sits at some distance from Girpool’s sound, the song actually predates the band’s separation. “It’s been sitting all this time while I’ve been writing other similarly sounding songs,” Harmony reveals. “I just love writing different sounds, and I wanted to explore different ways of expression in my own work.”

This openness extends to the vulnerability looming over the song. Harmony’s voice is wrought with emotion, growing into a growl with every line. Harmony, however, knows where to draw the line, being present without being consumed. “I think chronic oversharing is a shield, and there’s an indifference and numbness that comes with that constant accessibility,” she muses. “Living this way feels very natural to me.”

“The longing to protect someone from themselves is a beautiful desire, but also ultimately not our lifelong responsibility,” Harmony adds. “I think unconditional love is a very beautiful and brave concept, but at a certain point boundaries must be drawn. It’s something people work towards their whole lives... we bend differently for different people.”