Australian alt-pop duo M & J have released a very personal story of unrequited love with their latest single, “Not A Love Song.” Based in Bondi, the duo often draws inspiration from Australian nature and the beauty of life, but this time they turn inward to explore the complicated feelings that come with wanting someone who may not feel the same way.
“Not A Love Song” is a soulful contemporary R&B song that features a sweet, infectious and sexy tune. The vocals are well placed with ample room to sing and the delivery is simple but powerful, making the emotion real rather than forced.
The song is basically a dream of what a relationship might have been like. It represents the hopes, dreams and expectations that we sometimes have in our mind before we meet someone we like, even when nothing concrete has come of it. However, when they aren’t returned, the dream turns into something else.
This is how the song came up with its name. The one half of M & J wanted to write a love song for someone they had met and cared about, but the love wasn’t returned. The relationship didn’t live up to expectations and the song ended up being a portrait of the unfulfilled dreams.
That’s a very sincere and relatable honesty. “Not A Love Song” evokes the beauty and the disappointment of yearning for love, but also serves as a reminder that the story you see coming isn’t always the story you receive.
