Music Review // Child Actress "Just Fine Never Better"

 

One of the things which I love most about music is how you can hear something it can feel so familiar and new at the same time.   This is the case with this song, "Just Fine Never Better", by Child Actress.  At first I hear these beats which come out like the percussion for Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here".   There are these magical sounding chimes coming in and then the guitar just takes you to a completely blissed out place which is not easy to do.

In many ways, Child Acress reminds me of something I might have heard on a compilation from whenthesunhits back in the early 2010s, as this just has that dreamwave / shoegaze that can be used as somewhat of a catch-all genre now but back then (and in years before) had a rather specific sound.   It's just that hazy way of seeing the world like it's blurry.  It's not so easy to describe, but this song by Child Actress feels like that moment when you accidentally glimpse at the sun and can see those spots in front of your eyes.

More than just the music, Child Actress has also created a music video to go along with this which has this trippy way about it where you feel colors.  There are windmills and other such things going on during the video and the filter of the lens of it all just makes it feel like home movies.  There is something to be said about "music videos" becoming more like "music film" in the way that this one is just pure art.

At the same time I was listening to Lava Divers and The Us, I was also listening to music by an artist called Child Actor, who are still out there so it would be interesting to see the two get together for a split album, tour or both.   But that just brings in more familiarity with this song which is a great way to not only relax but just kind of forget about the world and zone out for four minutes or so.