Listen to Romy’s shimmering new single ‘Always Forever’
Romy has shared a new standalone single called ‘Always Forever’ – you can listen to it below.
The club-ready track was co-written and co-produced by Fred Again.., who worked with Romy on her debut solo album ‘Mid Air’ (2023). Joy Anonymous are also credited as producers.
‘Always Forever’ sees Romy sample Donna Lewis’ 1996 classic single ‘I Love You Always Forever’. Captioning a behind-the-scenes studio clip, the soloist and member of The xx said she was “so grateful” for Lewis’ seal of approval.
“Thank you so much for giving your blessing to sample your beautiful and iconic song ‘I Love You Always Forever’,” she continued. “We love the original so much and our version has been some years in the making…”
Lewis reposted the video on her Instagram, writing: “The joy of making music Love watching these guys create as it’s always filled with joy and laughter! Always forever
.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 1 last night (May 28), Romy explained: “For me, writing lyrics around [the original version]… there’s a big pressure. This is a classic song, but I wanted to add some emotion to the verses to say, ‘It’s OK to be sad – whatever you’re going through. You can talk to me, you can take it out on me, and I love you regardless’.”
She added: “I just tried to get into the emotion of it. I wrote down the lyrics and I tried to find my own way to connect with them and write around it. But I’m so happy that Donna Lewis let us use this amazing song. It’s really cool.”
The single is accompanied by an official video helmed by Aftersun writer and director Charlotte Wells.
“I felt very emotionally connected to Aftersun on many levels,” Romy told Dazed. “I have memories of going on holiday with my dad when we were both grieving my mum who died when I was 11.
“That film helped me really connect and empathise with how he might have been feeling. It’s such a gift to have that epiphany that I really got from Aftersun.”
Romy had previously played ‘Always Forever’ during some of her solo shows. This summer, she’ll perform at Glastonbury, Primavera Sound Barcelona, Field Day and Roskilde among other events.
The post Listen to Romy’s shimmering new single ‘Always Forever’ appeared first on NME.
Tom Skinner
NME