Sometimes things just don’t work out between two people. It could be in a relationship or a friendship, but there are instances where even hashing things out won’t cut it. It can be a bummer, but usually if that’s the case it’s for the best for everyone to go their separate directions. This is not the case for Harlem band Exit Daze–the project of Nick Tesoriero–and songwriter & singer Lissie. While their new single “Both Sides” is about a separation and communication breakdown, Tesoriero and Lissie work absolute wonders together on the track, which we are thrilled to premiere this morning on Substream.
Tesoriero begins “Both Sides” with an oscillating, almost spooky underlying synthetic instrumental. Things get more interesting when he brings the guitar in with a soulful, bending melodic line. This is where Lissie comes in as well, singing about a breakdown between two people. The chorus expands upon on the title of the track, as though the subjects of the song are trying to see both sides, “it’s not enough,” as Lissie puts it. Lissie and Tesoriero’s voices play off each other perfectly when they harmonize, and the track sparks and sizzles until the very last sentence.
When asked how the song came about, Tesoriero says “‘Both Sides’ began as an instrumental I made in Harlem. Shortly after it’s creation I was working on music at Lissie’s house in Iowa. When I played the instrumental during a quick session break, Lissie started singing some melodies. I initially never realized singing could work on the track but quickly loved it. She laid her verse down right away, I laced some guitars to it, sang my verse and this is the result.”
You can listen to “Both Sides” below. With such a strong collaborative effort on the track, here’s to hoping that Exit Daze and Lissie work together more in the future.
