Alex Starling’s Maybe We Lost It is a masterful exploration of emotional vulnerability and the existential crises that accompany personal and relational transformation. The track stands as a poignant meditation on the impermanence of love and identity, crafted within a cinematic, synth-driven sonic landscape that is both haunting and transcendent.
From the very outset, the bold, industrial-adjacent drums establish a sense of urgency and unease. These beats are layered with a dimensional synthscape that evokes a dreamlike yet dystopian atmosphere. Starling’s vocals, ethereal yet grounded, weave through this soundscape like a ghost haunting its own past. The instrumentation is meticulously layered, building a tension that swells into a climactic release, leaving us emotionally raw. It’s easy to imagine Maybe We Lost It as the auditory backdrop to a pivotal scene in a Sofia Coppola film – a montage of loss, introspection, or bittersweet reconciliation.
Starling’s vocal performance is stunning, showcasing a remarkable range that amplifies the emotional intensity of the track. His delivery is imbued with fragility, as though each word teeters on the edge of collapse, yet possesses an undeniable power that draws us into the rawness of the narrative. The quivering, almost pleading quality of the vocals resonates deeply, echoing the vulnerability of the lyrics.
The lyrics delve into the disorienting experience of watching someone you love transform into a version of themselves you no longer recognize. Starling captures this with poetic precision, as seen in lines like:
“So you want to be somebody else instead / I hope you’ll still be someone that I love…” is both a lament and a desperate plea, encapsulating the fear of losing a connection that once felt immutable. The imagery of “grey in your hair” and “our love’s got acne scars” speaks to the scars of time, visible yet deeply intimate markers of shared history.
One of the most evocative sections is the reflection on past dreams: “Remember when you wanted that room and to have parties / And a skylight to look at the moon…” This nostalgic interlude paints a picture of a shared vision that has eroded over time, a yearning for the purity of what once was. The juxtaposition of lofty aspirations with the mundane realities of aging and disappointment underscores the song’s central theme of disillusionment.
Thematically, Maybe We Lost It grapples with the paradox of love and identity: how can we love someone who is constantly changing, and how do we reconcile the changes within ourselves? The lyrics wrestle with the duality of acceptance and resistance, acknowledging the inevitability of change while mourning the loss of stability. Starling’s use of repetition, “Again again again I know I talk but don’t know what to say…”, reflects the cyclical nature of these struggles, mirroring the human tendency to revisit unresolved emotional pain.
The song also touches on the fragility of communication in relationships: “You speak with shaking words / A drink should toughen them up / Like breathing in hairspray.” This line suggests the artifice of trying to steady oneself in the face of vulnerability, a futile attempt to mask fragility with temporary fixes.
Ultimately, Maybe We Lost It transcends its narrative specifics to become a universal elegy for lost connections—whether with a loved one, a version of oneself, or an idealized past. The track’s cinematic quality amplifies its philosophical depth, inviting us to reflect on our own experiences of transformation and recognition.
Alex Starling has crafted a sonic and lyrical masterpiece that stands as a testament to his evolution as an artist. Maybe We Lost It is a cinematic and philosophical experience that leaves us questioning the nature of love, identity, and loss. Starling’s ability to marry emotional depth with an atmospheric soundscape places this track among the most evocative synth ballads of the year. We have added the opus to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to explore Alex Starling‘s exquisite, growing discography.