Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker return with another poignant, heartfelt and tear-jerking collaborative album, “brent iii.” Released Nov. 1, this third installment of their “brent” series captured the hearts of many while keeping the same emotional transparency fans have loved over the past few years.
The two indie-pop singers take listeners through the raw human emotions of love, weakness and loss, to name a few. The album opens with the beautiful piece, “ashes & rust.” This song mourns the relationship of a father who was once there for his children.
The feeling of loss and vulnerability is shown heavily throughout this piece. Cutler and Zucker’s lyricism takes listeners through a storyline of a mom missing her person, and the father figure being distant in all of their lives. From the father figure skipping a funeral to only sending cards on milestones in life, “ashes & rust” paints a picture of a fatherhood that is fading away into nothing.
Cutler and Zucker confidently end the song with the verse, “Oh, it’s ashes and rust ‘til we all turn to dust in the end.” To highlight the father slowly erasing his family from the picture, turning them into “dust.”
To take a step back from fatherhood and into relationships, “terrible things,” gorgeously brings listeners the longing for constant intimacy. Cutler and Zucker raise the question of if it is “such a terrible thing” to miss the other person so deeply that it seems they are always on your mind.
Cutler’s chorus explains the song perfectly, “I wanna know what you’re thinking / How you look after the show / How my hands feel on your skin / Is that such a terrible thing?” Both Cutler and Zucker long for this intimacy and wonder if they are making the right choice. Even Zucker sings about not being able to navigate life without the other person.
This song reassures listeners that it is normal to want a person in your life so badly, your mind becomes clouded with them.
Their hit song off the album takes a similar approach to the chase of finding love. The song, “black & white,” tells the story of a couple whose lives are transformed by one another. Suddenly when they are together, color is shined through a life that was once black and white. Cutler and Zucker’s beautiful melodies touch the hearts of fans with this song, explaining in their lyrics how the couple wants to be together forever.
Despite the title, “five minutes” is a 2 minute and 39 second masterpiece of a heartbreaking and painful story. Cutler and Zucker alternate lyrics in this song, as they both try to cope with the incredible pain of a breakup that brought immense emotional grief to both of them, and they try to withhold seeing each other regardless of the short distance.
Zucker sings, “Five minutes from the bridge to your place / It’s the light off the water that makes me think you’re okay,” making me think Zucker is also looking down as he observes the water, feeling a sense of loss. While Cutler sings, “Five minutes from my block to your street / All the red in the sky makes me think you’re thinking of me,” as she stares up at the sky looking for hope in the future.
Unlike “five minutes,” “and the government too!” explores the struggles of a long distance relationship. Throughout the song they refer to obstacles in the way of their love, “I would scream at the stars / For keeping us apart / And the government too.”
Unfortunately the distance is too much for the couple, and if it was as easy as catching a flight, they would do whatever it takes to be with their true love. In the first verse, Zucker sings, “But I know if it were as simple as boarding / A flight to you, I would be soaring / You say goodnight, but it’s morning / Perfectly fine.” Despite the plane ride away, the separation still is worth it to Zucker, especially with the right person.
This song has to be one of my favorites off of the already beautifully written and produced album. “and the government too!” really encapsulates the reality of wanting to move oceans for a love that is stretched out by distance.
To end the album, “good things” brings listeners to reality. It is not just a sad song, it is used as a reminder that good things usually never stick around for the long run. However, the good experiences and relationships you do have, make sure to hold onto them because once they run away, you may never get them back.
Without saying much, “brent iii,” fully captures the pure emotion hidden in relationships. The emotional vulnerability shown throughout both Cutler and Zucker gives fans a relatable experience. The duo’s compatibility is unmatched on this track, and to returning fans it is a welcome home, but to newcomers, it’s an introduction to a world of real human connection.
