With the release of their new single “Vertical”, the British duo Arliston delivers a soul-stirring anthem that balances the emotive and the anthemic, setting the stage for their forthcoming album, Disappointment Machine. The track is a beautiful exploration of the inner turmoil that defines our late twenties and early thirties, a time when life’s challenges can feel like insurmountable walls – impossibly vertical.
Opening with Jack Ratcliffe’s intimate baritone and delicate piano keys, “Vertical” quickly builds in intensity. The introduction of fluttering drum beats from Sam Catchpole, complemented by Brett Shaw’s expert percussion, adds a growing sense of urgency. By the first minute, the track reveals the full spectrum of Arliston’s emotional range, as Ratcliffe’s brooding vocals escalate into soaring, almost desperate pleas, asking, “How should I know just whether I can carry on?“
Lyrically, “Vertical” captures the relatable frustration of grappling with life’s simplest tasks – like searching for lost keys – while facing the overwhelming pressures of adulthood. Ratcliffe’s metaphor of “vertical”, representing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, echoes with anyone who has felt the weight of expectations bearing down on them.
The song’s crescendo is both cathartic and uplifting, with an anthemic energy that feels like a release of pent-up emotion.
As Jack describes, this song “ends in a bit more of a major-key way lyrically- the lack of memory at least allows all of the negative events to slide off you, like water off a duck’s back! “I don’t remember the days I sat inside the car crying, feeling it’s vertical.””
As the second single from Disappointment Machine, “Vertical” sets the stage for an album that promises to be as introspective as it is anthemic, making it easily relatable for anyone navigating the complexities of adulthood.
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