“Better Off” is a song with many shifting moods. In its fullest form, it comes as a two-parter: the intro, almost a track in its own right, hitting the consciousness gently, with the intimacy and melancholy of a love-lorn bedroom jam, before we reach the song proper. Even then, we find ourselves in a sort of understated alt-folk place, but just long enough to lull the listener into a false sense of security, as it soon explodes into a jagged, sharp-edged, and even sharper lyrical-tongued piece.
From here, it ebbs and flows between chugging indie groover and anthemic alt-rock highs, the perfect interplay of mood and emotion to express those conflicting, in-hindsight feelings and thoughts of caring too much about someone as they drift into your past.
It is fair to say that the song covers a lot of ground; musical dynamics and sonic interplay are the name of the game, and the lyrics are both deep yet written in the language of the day.
Timeless sentiments, timely music? Absolutely!
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