Lots of relationships break up because the partners are too busy in the frenetic modern to spend much time developing deeper connections and intimacy. Yet that’s not the kind of “Busy” the brilliantly rootsy, modern folk/soul Toronto based pop/rock singer/songwriter Matt Zaddy is lamenting (and sometimes exulting) about on the lead single to his first full length album Be. The track is all at once fresh and sparkling yet gritty and bluesy with simmering emotions which pull us right into the communication challenged relationship.
The sonic duality reflects the mixed feelings of the lyrics which chronicle these heavy problems but with a tinge of whimsy and sense of happiness that things aren’t working out. There’s also a clever twist that allows the couple to share the blame equally. Over crackling, shimmery guitars and brooding old school keys, the opening chorus finds him singing, “When you’re too busy bein’ right/ and I’m too busy bein’ happy.”
Later, Zaddy reverses the roles: “When I’m too busy bein’ right/and you’re too busy bein’ happy.” The track, probably one of the coolest ever about a couple being resigned to an impasse that will lead them exactly nowhere close to each other, is produced by Ross Citrullo (The Sheepdogs, Julian Taylor Band, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar) and features a mix of Zaddy’s longtime live band and local session players.
Zaddy says of Be, “This record was my journey of exploring what it means to be the best version of myself I can, one lesson at a time.” Sometimes the lesson is the reality that at relationships mired in struggle are mostly just good for inspiring a kick-ass song like “Busy.” It’s worth finding time in your day to check out!
Listen to "Busy" here: