[gtranslate]
Music

Sebastien Skubala addresses his adversaries on new single ‘Things That You Said’

On new single Things That You Said, Adelaide artist Sebastien Skubala trades barbs with old foes while jamming to poppy violin riffs. 

Sebastien Skubala has released Things That You Said, an alt-pop gem that marks the second single to be lifted from the singer-songwriter’s debut EP. A bouncy concoction of catchy hooks and jazzy riffs, Things That You Said is a singularly unique type of pop song, with a focus on the one instrument usually bypassed in favour of more cookie-cutter production.

The single is bound by an arpeggio violin riff, which fittingly opens the track before the introduction of a groovy bassline and introspective lyricism. Things That You Said offers a sonic middle-finger to the foes of Skubala’s past, singing with an indie flair of “all the things you made me do” and lamenting someone who “fucked me up.”  

Sebastien Skubala new single 'Things That You Said'

It’s the kind of intimate and pointed songwriting that you might hear on a break up album, but the single trades barbs with a different kind of adversary. “Things That You Said is a song about bullies and the institutions that create them,” Skubala said of the single in a press statement. “You could say it is my trauma anthem.” 

In between these heated verses directed at former bullies, it’s the emphasis on strings that remains the track’s enduring standout. Effortlessly punctuating Skubala’s rhythmic vocal delivery and later soundtracking the outro, the shimmer of a violin affords Things That You Said a distinctly regal sound, which only amplifies the track’s otherwise searing lyrical content. “The past is gone, I move along,”  Skubala sings, “I remember the rubble.” 

I’m not completely ready to deal with this old wound, but Things That You Said is a first step,” Skubala said. “It’s my hope, that anyone going through stuff who might be listening to this: take some strength from this track and know that you’re not alone.” 

Skubala wrote Things That You Said over the summer in his hometown of Adelaide. It follows last month’s Worse Off as the second preview of Skubala’s debut EP, which is due for release soon. Elsewhere, the Adelaide singer is gearing up for the release of Nothing Matters If I Say So, a third EP single which features rapper Wavey Baby.

Listen to Skubala’s new single Things That You Said below.