Review: Safari Room – “Broken Things”

On the latest single from Safari Room, called “Broken Things,” he tackles the difficult theme of navigating through a relationship on the brink of collapse. Songwriter Alec Koukol shared, “Quite plainly, ‘Broken Things’ is about the declination of a relationship. The song is an amalgamation of relationships I’ve had crumble over the last few years. This song is a catharsis and outburst of emotions kept in for too long. It’s a whole journey of self-discovery through loss of a relationship, confined in one tune.” The song is brimming with vibrant guitar riffs, soothing vocals, all paired with vivid storytelling from Koukol. The sound of Safari Room is similar to the style of The National, The War on Drugs, and Mae.

The song opens with the verse of “This is the end, no longer lovers/ “Maybe we can be friends” / What a lie / Emphatically sad ‘cause the good has been undone” as Koukol paints the picture of a once fruitful relationship turning sour. The song gradually picks up tempo and features a great bass line before building to the crescendo of, “You’re out of my mind /You’re out of my mind (Get out of my mind) / You’re out of my mind / Get out of my mind /You’re out of my mind (Get out of my mind) / You’re out of mind / You don’t live here anymore (You don’t live there anymore),” that provides a glimpse of the conflict going on within the songwriter’s headspace. Safari Room have reignited the flame of purpose on this electric single that is hauntingly beautiful.