B-Side Guys

The greatest trick “Missing You” pulls isn’t its thumping bassline or driving beat – it’s how Finn transforms a potentially routine lost-love narrative into something more nuanced through careful manipulation of musical and lyrical contrast. As the second single from “The Waterfall,” it suggests an album unafraid to explore the space between intention and impact.

What initially presents as an upbeat blues-rock track reveals deeper complexities with each listen. The muscular rhythm section provides a deceptively sturdy foundation for lyrics that grow increasingly uncertain. When the narrator demands “Remind me of all the things I’ve done,” it sounds less like confession and more like someone trying to piece together a fractured timeline.

The production emphasizes this duality, allowing the propulsive instrumentation to carry the track’s surface energy while creating space for the vocals to explore more vulnerable territory. It’s particularly effective when addressing youth as a “phantom” that steals innocence – the kind of observation that hits harder precisely because it’s delivered over such an assured musical backdrop.

Natural imagery appears throughout – autumn’s setting sun, blooming flowers – but always in service of emotional excavation rather than mere scene-setting. These metaphors gain power through their placement against the track’s urban blues-rock muscle, creating tension between the organic and the constructed.

The recurring “Missing you” refrain takes on different shades of meaning with each iteration, moving from simple statement to something more complex as the lyrics progress through “orphan shoes” and “taboo” to end with uncertainty: “Is something happening soon?” It’s a masterclass in how repetition can complicate rather than simplify meaning.

As a single, “Missing You” does exactly what it should – provides immediate gratification through its powerful arrangement while hinting at the deeper currents running through “The Waterfall.” Finn has managed to create something that works both as standalone track and album chapter, no small feat in an era of context-free playlists.