Eli Lev makes a welcome return with the gorgeous, folk-pop ballad "My Wish Was You," which feels as though it were pulled from an old box of letters weathered enough to be soft around the edges, bitter as much as sweet, and complete with memories. So much of Lev's project shines because he has a natural talent for translating these personal experiences into grandiose tales that feel incredibly vast.
On a bed of warm acoustic guitars and lush strings, the track conveys a sense of intimacy while maintaining grand buoyancy. It's an icebreaker that easily dissolves at our hesitant sight, a song you could see playing in the background during the last scene of your favorite indie movie, the camera's back to give him space, but linger on the lingering desperation in her eyes. Lev breathes with sentimental honesty in his vocals, the kind where not just a story is told, but one that makes you feel as though you're living inside it for a second with each word.
At its heart, "My Wish Was You" delves into that feeling of longing for a love you then decide was never even really there, or at best, only really existed in an unsteady pre-death state. It is for those connections that seem otherworldly, yet never quite become real. Lev has a way with songwriting that turns this utterly individual experience into fodder for the rest of us, taking the ever-so-human inclination to play the "what if" game of all our past loves and making that theme feel universal.
The single features on Lev's upcoming album "Past Lives," the second part of his Three Worlds Project. Similar to the song, the album is set to blend memories, lineage, and self-discovery into a narrative that feels simultaneously grounded and eternal. Fans of Gregory Alan Isakov, Vance Joy, and The Paper Kites will feel at home with this fragile beauty, which allows for an understated, yet ethereal, honesty.
"My Wish Was You" is rather a gentle form of longing that resides within you, influencing how you remember yesterday and perhaps even how you unexpectedly embrace tomorrow. There is something to be said about the warmth of Eli Lev, which, with his tender instrumental and storied lyricism, evokes a sense of memories and a sense of longing, as if it were a fond memory you could barely recall but had promised yourself you would never forget.
Reviewed by LyricalOdyssey Music
on
August 12, 2025
Rating:
No comments: