Not all endings are surprises. In movies we usually know the superhero is going to defeat the bad guy. An album has a set number of tracks we can read to know how much longer there is to listen. In relationships, sometimes the writing is on the wall long before the actual split occurs. A coldness and distance creeps in, cracks begin to show, and issues start to simmer until it all comes to a head and the relationship ends. That part of a relationship is a sad time, and Mason Ashley has turned that sadness into her heartbreaking new single “Ever Had You.”
Just like the issues in this relationship, “Ever Had You” starts subtly. A few stray synths and percussion is the only thing underscoring Ashley as she tries rationalizing the behavior of the other person. Maybe it’s not the end, maybe it’s something that can be fixed or something that’s all in their heads. As the music builds, adding keys and more drums, those explanations fall away as she comes to terms it’s really over, even if the end hasn’t officially come yet. It’s an intense, moving experience listening to “Ever Had You.”
Ashley also released a music video for “Ever Had You.” It’s shot in 4k, so naturally it looks amazing. Between arguments with the subject of the song, Ashley appears in a church. This church is filled with attendants who are already dead, attending the funeral of a relationship that’s already over. The atmosphere is appropriately eerie and solemn, and the decision to cast the other person as a faceless figure is an inspired one.
Watch Mason Ashley in the video for “Ever Had You” below.
