Tristan brings a new perspective to heartbreak on her latest song, ‘one last cry’.
The thing about writing songs in 2024 is that almost everything has been done, and innovation can seem impossible in a landscape where everybody is already accustomed to vulnerability, to emotional discourse, to baring it all, constantly. Yet, newcomer Tristan manages to bring a sense of playful hopefulness to the conversation, an accomplishment that can’t be undermined.
‘One last cry’ is about deciding to move on from something, offering up one final round of tears before ditching the whole situation, because it’s ‘pointless now to figure out what was missing’. The laissez-faire attitude is refreshing and inspiring, letting her muse know that she is no longer going to be held emotionally hostage; the anthemic chorus melody reflects this sense of self-liberation, and a sense of certainty that only exhaustion can bring, highlighted by the lyric ‘Think when we lay us to rest/ We’ll finally get some rest too’ in the second verse. Tristan’s signature pop sensibilities are particularly apt for this track, as she puts a spin on the image of the subject’s bedroom, which is presumed to be sentimental and saddening, instead, she sings about the last time she was there, saying ‘Didn’t know to say goodbye to the pillows and the shitty view’, hitting you with a comedic line just when you think you know where the song is going. This is a classic Tristan move: set up the mournful, longing moment, and then subvert it with a witty line, or a self-deprecating quip in true Gen-Z fashion.
Another standout moment is the bridge, wherein the repeated melody, paired with the casual spoken vocals mimics the cycle of the relationship that Tristan now seems to find boring, and rather unappealing. More than anything, it is clear there is nothing left to find out, thus the relationship is void, which in itself is a fascinating commentary on the singer’s outlook on love as being a form of self-exploration, and that when it falls short of that front, there is no longer any point. The simple conclusion that ‘I loved you every time/ I’m not sure why you didn’t’ is admirably succinct and self-assured, refusing to keep mining things for meaning in vain. This sentiment is reminiscent of that in Sabrina Carpenter’s 2022 ‘decode’, the closing track of ‘emails i can’t send’, and in many ways this song feels like a closure song for Tristan too, whether personally or artistically, as she gears up in her career, a theme she discusses multiple times on her ep ‘IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT’, and is ready to tackle new things, new sounds, new muses.
Whatever Tristan has in store for us next, I have no doubt it will be just as honest, amusing, and illuminating as this standout track in her discography, and we look forward to hearing all about it.