B-Side Guys

Ryley Mullins’ “Another You” is a haunting meditation on loss and the futile desire to recreate what’s irretrievably gone. This sophomore release demonstrates a maturity that belies the artist’s nascent discography, weaving a tapestry of regret and longing that resonates far beyond its runtime.

The track opens with a stark image: an obituary writer, tasked with distilling a life into column inches. It’s a clever narrative device, immediately establishing the theme of inadequate representations of the departed. Mullins’ lyrics dance between the concrete and the abstract, painting vignettes of a relationship’s aftermath with deft brushstrokes that recall the best of alt-pop storytelling.

Musically, “Another You” occupies a liminal space between indie pop’s effervescence and alternative rock’s emotional heft. The instrumentation builds gradually, mirroring the slow-burning realization of permanent absence. It’s in this careful construction that Mullins showcases his growth as an artist, demonstrating an understanding of dynamics that many veterans struggle to achieve.

The chorus—”I wanna make another you inside my arms”—is a gut-punch of magical thinking, the kind of impossible wish familiar to anyone grappling with loss. It’s a line that could easily veer into mawkishness, but Mullins delivers it with a raw authenticity that cuts through any potential sentimentality. The repetition of this refrain throughout the song underscores the cyclical nature of grief, each iteration carrying the weight of renewed desperation.

In its final moments, “Another You” confronts the unanswerable questions left in the wake of departure. It’s a poignant acknowledgment of the gaps that can never be filled, the conversations that will remain unfinished. Mullins has crafted a song that serves as both elegy and exorcism, a piece that doesn’t just describe the process of mourning but embodies it. With this release, he establishes himself as an artist capable of transmuting personal pain into universal catharsis.