‘100 Poems’ is the first 2024 release for UK-based bedroom pop artist tinyumbrellas, released on August 21st.
The hundred poems in question are hypothetical poems that could be sent to someone, but never will. The song is about some sort of relationship, whether romantic or friendship, that has grown inevitably distant. Despite this sounding like a rather sad topic, the song does not feel that way. It is slightly bittersweet, but mostly sweet: reminiscing on memories, but accepting that these have passed, concluding “it wouldn’t be the same, we are better off this way”.
The lyrics are touching and very in line with usual tinyumbrellas-songwriting, with melancholic close-to-life descriptions, mentioning photos on walls and trips to Glasgow, all making the song feel very heartfelt and easy to relate to.
The song instrumentals nicely ebb and flow, as the pre-chorus reflects on the time passed, accompanied by just some soft guitar strums for a slightly sadder tone, and then the drums and continuous guitar kick back in in the chorus, lifting the mood back up towards the end of acceptance: “I could write a 100 poems for you, but it wouldn’t be the same, with you so far away”.
In their first release of this year, tinyumbrellas shows a lot of development in terms of both vocals and production: the soft but clear vocals are well-balanced with the instrumentals, which are in turn perfectly supporting the meaning of the song. This has resulted in a sweet-sounding melancholic song, wonderfully encapsulating the topic.
They just came off a tour with Bears In Trees, and asked audience members there to write letters they would not send to someone, to be used in the ‘100 Poems’ music video, so that is something to look forward to regarding this track!
Written by: Marieke Weeda
Edited by: Nèri Cliteur
