A light in the darkest of spaces: Siobhán Winifred’s latest single, ‘Let Down’
On September 10th, the London-based singer-songwriter Siobhán Winifred released her latest single, Let Down.
Defined as the “failure to support or help someone as they had hoped or expected,” Siobhán uses this term to explore her story with PTSD over the last year, turning her pain into a cathartic indie-pop single that’s personally specific, yet universally understandable.
Within the single’s announcement post, she told fans: “As some of you know, this song is about how witnessing a really violent crime outside my house changed the way I viewed the world. I went from being a pretty optimistic person to someone who expected the worst from everyone because it felt safer to. PTSD is a complex thing and my relationship with it changes all the time but I’ve come a long way from the version of me that couldn’t walk down the street without having my hand on my back or watch anything with violence in.”
The cover art itself is a close-up cyanotype of Siobhan, drawing listeners in with the expectation of a song that’ll be vulnerable, intimate and leave a lasting impression. Created by herself and Lucy Cave, these blue-themed visuals extend to the song’s lyric video, too, where Siobhan created a painting filled with messages about the song and how it feels to her:
Consisting of 190 separate photos, Siobhán used the art of superimposition to represent how writing Let Down also rewrote the narrative of her trauma.
The singer confessed, “It’s the first time I’ve really written about it explicitly and I’m really glad I’ve reached a place where I can talk about it without feeling like I’m making a big deal out of nothing. I felt so alone and isolated because of this experience, I felt like no one could truly relate because of the weird specifics of it, but it’s really important to get things off your chest regardless because they will come and get you if you don’t. I hope anyone who struggles with PTSD feels a fraction more seen and understood, and I promise though it may feel like everyone is a let down, including yourself, I promise they’re not, and I promise it does get better.”
Before reading on, here’s a link to some important resources for those who may need them.
With the opening seconds of Let Down, instrumentals set the scene: rhythmic guitar strums and a high-pitched synth sound calling overtop like a bird warning of nearby danger. Back in medias res, Siobhán sings: “Her top comes up, I watch him stare / One more stop, I'm out of here / He pressed me up against the glass / He got real close, spat me his threat / You wanna give it so I'll get it / I cried when I got home.”
In the second verse, drums join Siobhán’s anguish as she explores how the incident affected her. Left terrified and faithless of the good in the world, she says: “TV's dead, the kids don't care / And I can't make it out of bed.” Left reading horoscopes in hopes that she can make sense of what happened, the singer shares her inner-most thoughts: “ever since I saw his skin pierced like fucking clingfilm / I've thought about giving in.”
With the chorus, the instrumentals swell as we reach the crux of the song. “Everyone's a let down, let down, honey, I'm a let down too,” Siobhán sings, her thoughts spiralling further inward. “Maybe I'm the worst of all of them, I know I'm the worst of me and you.” In this lyric, the ‘you’ could be anyone; a partner, a friend, a therapist or even the listener themselves.
In the third verse, we see just how far the singer’s sinking: “Bite the hand, avoid the news / Numb the guilt 'til it consumes me / Will it always feel like this?” For those who pre-saved the song, there’s a nod to this lyric with a stop-motion drawing of a bitten hand as it’s Spotify Canvas, playing over and over again like the ruminating cycle of PTSD.
Known for her incredible lyricism and ability to capture the biggest feelings in the smallest of ways, the following line is one of Siobhán’s most succinct: “Sinking far, souls of lead / Optimism's left for dead, go one and tell me who's next.” Guttural and striking, the vision of lead-heavy souls sinking deeper into traumatic memories makes Let Down feel like poetry. Whether scribbled on the back of a bus ticket or written in a diary, the singer lets listeners into her most vulnerable thoughts and questions about the world, admitting that she’s just waiting for the next terrible thing to happen.
Moving into the song’s outro, Siobhán breathily repeats: “I'm not holding my breath / I’m not holding my breath / Tell me who's next.” A cyclical stopping point for listeners, Siobhán’s perspective is raw, cathartic and entirely realistic for those who suffer from PTSD. A mental health condition with symptoms like flashbacks and uncontrollable thoughts, we see the cautious nature of recovery when one moment can take you right back to the beginning.
Luckily, Siobhán found some solace by doing what she does best - making music out of her experiences - and her biggest hope is that those who listen and relate to Let Down can have that, too.
Nearing almost 50,000 Spotify streams, it’s easy to understand why this song is so meaningful to Siobhán’s fans, with it’s vital message that despite how specific you own experiences can be, there’s always going to be someone else who understands exactly how you’re feeling.
With Let Down, listeners are taken on a journey through the loss, grief and eventual rebuilding of hope - because even when everyone and everything around you feels like a let down, they’re not, and it does get better.
To keep track of Siobhán’s future releases, make sure to follow her on Instagram and listen to the rest of her discography on Spotify. If you need recommendations, our favourites are Killers (ft. Stevie Bill), Keep Sweet and Don’t Do Well Alone!
