Though you’d never be able to tell looking at my rippling muscles and intimidating demeanour, I’m a bit of a sucker for romance. I often sit up at night crying, a glass of wine in hand, listening to mushy love songs while hugging my life-sized Scarlett Johansson pillow. That’s not romantic, you say? How dare you.
However, despite Jasper Erkens’ latest tune being called True Love, it’s anything but a declaration of such. The mischievous guitar riff suggests an air of resistance and confrontation, with the opening line “at least I know better now” only confirming as much. True Love’s video opens with the artist himself covered from the waist down in sand, and I’m forced to assume this is a beach trip gone wrong. I immediately recall attempting to bury my brother entirely in soil as a bitter sibling, which I admit now that at twenty-seven years old, I should have handled my resentment more maturely.
This opening shot for True Love really sets the tone that the song only continues to emphasize, he’s been openly betrayed and discarded. I think it’s safe to say that, unfortunately, we can all relate to this feeling, a sense of “how could you do this to me, I thought you loved me?”. It’s a hard kick to the gut and a giant blow to the self-esteem, something the track perfectly portrays as an examination of ego, questioning the motives of self-serving nature of who the song is written for. But make no mistake, True Love is not down in the dumps, it’s vengeful and defiant throughout.
As the video draws to an exciting and violent close, we find ourselves given a bit of an M. Night Shyamalan style twist. Two Jasper Erkens, both with equally bushy beards. This track is not about a former lover at all! More of a reflective piece, blaming oneself for the destruction of a relationship because pride got in the way of logic. It’s crazy to think that a song’s entire meaning can be flipped in a matter of seconds, and maybe I’m interpreting it incorrectly, but regardless, it gives you something to ponder over. Bravo, Jasper.
True Love is out tomorrow! Listen to it here first on Independent Music News.
