Song Review: “Don’t Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You” by Suede

Brett Anderson of Suede in concert
Brett Anderson of Suede in concert. Photo by RMV/REX/Shutterstock (5584934o)

Britpop legends Suede have been very active since they got back together in 2013, and they are already preparing to release their third album since the reunion. Titled The Blue Hour, the album will be released in September 2018 and was announced with a fantastic first single “The Invisibles.” On July 12th, we had the pleasure of checking out the second single, “Don’t Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You,” as well.

The track starts with an almost horror-like scene in which two people are calling each other. The voices are getting louder until they get cut out abruptly. While your imagination starts running wild and creates scenarios about what happened, Richard Oakes joins in and you can immediately recognize his squeaky guitar leading the way. But it’s Brett Anderson who dominates “Don’t Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You” with his silky voice. It looks like this man’s vocals just keep on getting better and better over time.

The lyrics of the song are in the line with the topics Anderson likes to write about. Love, hate, optimism, pessimism and everything in-between mashed up together and always giving new meanings to the verses with each loop. The song is also full of lines that contradict each other but just stick in your head. “I’ll take you to where no one goes/But no one ever leaves,” Brett Anderson sings and leaves you both amazed and puzzled.

The things that make this song good are unfortunately the same things that make them underwhelming. “Don’t Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You” is just too much Suede. Everything sounds familiar, from the guitars and drums to the lyrics. If someone hears it on the radio for the first time, they could easily think it is one of the B-sides from their 2016 album Night Thoughts.

Although “Don’t Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You” has everything you love about Suede, it isn’t enough to get you excited for their new album. And that is something a single is supposed to do.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆