Eleri Angharad is becoming quite the accomplished songwriter. Her latest single ‘Delete It’ feels, in many ways, like the perfect companion piece to Twinnie’s ’Social Babies’. Whilst both reflect on the negative aspects of social media however, what makes ‘Delete It’ so different is how immersive it is. Centred on the sending of a WhatsApp message, it conveys the simple yet relatable scenario of undergoing “a hundred revisions of the same line”. The repetition of the bridge “I love you/ I delete it” underscores the tension at the heart of this which, when coupled with the music, represents an anxious state of mind that is so compellingly real as to become positively involving.

The song has such a moody opening that sets the tone for the darkness that is to follow, pulling the listener into a mental struggle that is summed up in the line “pour my heart out/ bite my tongue”. It is testament to Eleri and co-writer Beth Keeping that they envelope us in a narrative that is so relatable. They manage to voice the almost universal concerns we have with instant messaging, and the battles we face in an age of virtual communication. To that end, the dark ending feels deliberate; its broodiness a reminder that this is not just a moment but an ongoing reality. ‘Delete It’ offers no answers to such a situation but shrewdly observes it as part of our current society. It acts as a mirror, with such insightfulness underlining Eleri Angharad’s ability to write evocative songs and, in this instance, offer social commentary too.

Click here to listen on Spotify.

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Originally written for Belles & Gals and published March 20th 2021.

Featured Image (C) Eleri Angharad