“It’s my favourite song I’ve ever written,” Brianna Scully said of her intimate new single Haunted.
Brianna Scully has released her new single Haunted, the second track to be lifted from the Florida musician’s forthcoming EP MANIAC. A piano-driven ballad, Haunted forefronts Scully’s angelic vocals, with sparse instrumentation providing ample room for the singer’s mesmerising range. There’s a theatrical quality to Scully’s delivery, with her voice equally suited to both a Disney fairytale and the twinkle of piano keys.
What begins as a slow-tempo rumination of heartbreak gradually expands with finger-picked guitar strings and spacey synths. Elsewhere, subtle percussion gives a sense of rhythm to Haunted’s lovelorn tale, as Scully recounts the universal feeling of carrying the memories of an ex-partner while with someone new. “He’s everything I wanted,” Scully pines with vocals so airy they could touch the heavens, “but I still think that I’m haunted by you.”
Haunted benefits from Scully’s unique flairs throughout, like the backing spoken-word dialogue of a supportive friend or the whispering sound effects that punctuate the lyrics “I believe my own lies.” Subtle touches like this enrich the production, which climatically builds towards Haunted’s bridge. Here, Scully lists off the remnants of her past relationship, from misplaced items to lingering memories.
Spacious and delicate, Haunted’s final moments are fittingly minimalist, as if listeners are inhabiting Scully’s inner-monologue. With lyrics seemingly ripped from Scully’s own diary, the single possesses the kind of intimate storytelling you might find on a Lizzy McAlpine or Olivia Rodrigo album, and yet her honesty means Haunted is wholly Scully’s own.
Speaking of this sincere songwriting in a press statement, Scully said Haunted is “my favourite song I’ve ever written and it came so easily because it’s brutally honest.” She continued: “While it’s about being in love with someone else, it’s also about calling myself out for not being able to move on and also how broken and damaged the relationship made me feel.”
Haunted follows Resist You as the second preview of Scully’s upcoming EP. If the introspective lyricism of Haunted is anything to go by, then Scully’s debut effort MANIAC is sure to bring on the waterworks. Listen to Brianna Scully’s new single Haunted below.
