Cardiologist-turned-musician Doctor Lincoln has had his shares of ups and downs. After a stint with a short-lived band, the artist had released his debut album way back in 2016. Since then, he gave up on his medical career following an ideological spat with a senior on the grounds of a patient’s safety issue. He has continued to work in his music after that and is gearing up for a mid-2022 release of his sophomore effort Will See You Now.
The Kerala-based artist is back in action as he dropped the upcoming album’s first single Don’t Let Go. As the title suggests, the song plays out as a rather emotional track with Lincoln asking for help in gloomy times of depression. In his tryst with experiencing love and loss, the protagonist desperately searches for an answer in the dire hours.
As the pandemic’s third wave raises its ugly head and drives people back to social isolation, such notions of experiencing solitude and the struggle to get over it might even be relatable to some listeners.
Despite the so-called “emo” overtones that the lyricism evokes, the track actually ends up sounding slightly inspirational. It is not one of those formulaic motivation anthems but still the overall production is feel-good and comforting. The juxtaposition of the moods emulated by the lyrics and the music work well in Lincoln’s favour as Don’t Let Go turns into a song to make its listeners feel a little less lonely.
The song might sound easygoing but lyrics like “You know I’m fragile” and “Don’t leave me here alone” add some depth. While the simplicity of the lyrics might comfort some, other listeners might find the song to be too straightforward in its approach. Themes like these have been explored before in the indie space so one can yearn for a calming song like this to sound a little more unique.
With that being said, this is just the first track off Doctor Lincoln’s upcoming project. So, it is too soon to judge how Don’t Let Go would fit in the overall narrative of the album. For now, as the aforementioned social isolation kicks in, you can still tune in to Don’t Let Go and feel that you’re not alone in the dark abyss…
Verdict: A comforting soft-rock number.
