UK singer-songwriter Lewis Knaggs has unveiled his latest single, "Feel Forever," in a breathtakingly beautiful release that navigates the delicate terrain of heartbreak and hope. Famed for his anthemic indie-folk, on this offering, Knaggs raises the emotional ante to unprecedented levels in his already emotionally charged work, a moving dedication that fills the void created by personal loss. Penned in the wake of the funeral of a close friend, "Feel Forever" doesn't so much wear its heart on its sleeve as open up its chest.
There's an ache as apparent in every lyric, guitar strum, and soaring chorus as it is in Turner's wine-stained suits. Knaggs is leading us by the hand to walk through it, with a voice that cracks in all the right places and melodies that stick long after the final note. The song swells like a storm on the rise. It starts gently, with hushed, acoustic textures establishing the atmosphere before swelling into something much larger. The chorus crashes in like a wave of memory and meaning, sounding the sorts of feelings that words tend to fail. Because it's in those moments, the ones where everything coheres in a rush of sound and sentiment, that "Feel Forever" feels like it lives up to its name.
What makes it so potent is the honesty with which it's told. Knaggs leans into grief, letting the quaver feel exposed and real, and revealing that song's fragility as its ultimate strength. "Feel Forever" is a moment that encapsulates an era, encouraging others to take a second to think, remember, and maybe even heal. In a world where so much music sounds disposable, Lewis Knaggs offers something permanent in a song that aches gorgeously and lifts without warning. In these moments of release, Knaggs demonstrates how the strongest art often emerges from the tenderest places, and by bringing that pain to the surface, we may just feel forever a little less alone.