Words: ROBIN MUMFORD
If you are unaware of Merritt Gibson, be prepared to have your jaw drop to the floor. There are some great musicians out there, both old and young, but few are brewing thunderbolts that will lead to a bigger and greater storm than the young New York based singer/songwriter.
As she pursues sophistication and raw emotion in pop music, Gibson is a naturally gifted storyteller who just so happens to have a richly beautiful voice to pair with it. These traits, alongside beady-eyed observation and the mental strength to take past anguish and turn it into something creative, is what sees her at her magnum opus as she unveils a first single since 2021.
Listen to '7 years’, and you’ll be transported to a classic college town, experiencing the love and heartbreak of a best friend made and lost. Merritt Gibson references a concept she once heard in a psych class about how it takes seven years of friendship to cement a lifelong relationship and uses it to her advantage to bind together a song that is as melodic as it is raw, passionate, and deeply intimate.
Allowing herself to become her vulnerable self has, in turn, done wonders for her music. Taking inspiration from the likes of Taylor Swift and Julia Michaels, Gibson is a magnificent storyteller, with her ability to reflect and make her listeners feel the way she did writing the song being a poignant characteristic of her limitless potential.
When conversing about the new track, she said: “Very few artists write about best friend breakups, even though most of us will lose a close friendship in our lives. Everyone knows that romantic relationships often end, but friendships are supposed to be forever. So what happens when you don’t even make it to 7 years? I wanted this song to feel like reading through a young twentysomething’s diary. The scenes are all very real. And the confusion and hurt are very real. I hope this song offers comfort to anyone experiencing a similar situation and reminds them they aren’t alone; things like this are a part of life. And you always get through it.”
Though very new to the music scene, having returned after a two-year break, Merritt Gibson should be on everybody’s rotation. She really did blow me away, so I’m sure this won’t be the last time we hear her name.
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