‘Can you keep a secret?’ breathes Barbara Teresa on her latest single ‘Just This One Time’. It’s a lyric full of both innocence and dark undertones which perfectly encapsulates the tone of this song. Who among us hasn’t held a secret crush close to our chest, hasn’t felt like a teenager again in someone’s presence? The imprint of a first love never quite wears off.
Barbara Teresa – Just This One Time
Just This One Time marks the third single from Venezuelan born, LA-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Barbara Teresa, here collaborating with producer Danny Balentine.
‘Just This One Time’ is a heartfelt folk-pop ballad about one of those fateful nights with someone that is most likely a bad idea, but somehow worth it anyway.
‘Lights off in the living room, no barriers between me and you anymore’ sings Teresa with her gorgeously delicate perfectly pitched vocals. Her gentle, naive delivery balances out the more moody, knowing undertones in the melody and shifting harmony.
The production is simple yet effective, with reverberating guitars strumming, gentle beats, childlike piano lines, and sweetly swooping backing vocals. There’s a definite ring of early Taylor Swift, as well as some 90s singer-songwriter echoes. It’s a song of giving in, as Teresa sings she’ll decide to ‘follow my subconscious’ plan’. Well-worn territory, perhaps, but highly listenable and accessible, and perhaps something to remind more jaded listeners that we’re all prey to questionable decisions for love.
Discover more from Barbara Teresa
If you like Barbara Teresa you might also enjoy StanLei
Words Eden Tredwell
