Beautifully delicate, deeply personal and overflowing with emotion, Polyvinyl deliver a breathtaking change of direction with their poignant new single, ‘Seasons’.
2026 has been a huge breakout year for the North Shields six-piece. They’ve headliend the Roots Stage at Kendal Calling, signed to Wipe Out Music Publishing and released their second EP, the sophomore Where This Ends, which has had over 100,000 streams on Spotify, which stripped away their heavier synth-driven textures sound, revealling something altogether more intimate, vulnerable and emotionally affecting.
Written following the heartbreaking loss of a close friend, ‘Seasons’ is a deeply moving reflection on grief, the passing of time and the memories that remain long after someone has gone.
From its opening moments, there’s an immediate sense of intimacy. Delicate, finger-picked bass notes establish a beautifully hypnotic melody, creating a warm, almost dreamlike atmosphere that draws the listener into the song’s emotional landscape.
As atmospheric electric guitar swells and subtle string arrangements begin to emerge, the soundscape develops a wonderfully immersive quality. There’s an understated elegance to the instrumentation, with each carefully considered element adding depth without ever overwhelming the song’s delicate foundations.
At the heart of ‘Seasons’ is Annabelle’s captivating vocal performance.
Soft, breathy and beautifully expressive, her delivery carries a vulnerability that makes every word feel deeply personal. There’s a fragility to the verses, almost as though we’re listening to an intimate conversation, before her vocals rise with greater conviction as the song reaches its expansive, emotionally charged chorus.
It’s here that ‘Seasons’ truly comes into its own.
The instrumentation gently blossoms around Annabelle’s soaring melodies, creating a gorgeous contrast between the song’s melancholic subject matter and its uplifting musical arrangement. The repeated chorus possesses a beautifully infectious quality, its flowing melodies lingering long after the music has finished.
Lyrically, however, ‘Seasons’ carries an emotional weight that becomes increasingly powerful with every listen.
At its core is the painful contradiction of watching the world continue to change while someone you love remains forever preserved in memory. References to changing seasons, fading colours and growing older while someone else remains eternally young provide a heartbreaking perspective on loss.
🎵Don’t let the colours fade away/While we’re sailing through the seasons/When everything starts to change/But everything stays the same🎵
The recurring plea not to let those colours fade becomes particularly poignant, capturing the desperate desire to preserve memories and maintain an emotional connection with someone who is no longer there.
It’s beautifully observed songwriting, made all the more affecting by Annabelle’s restrained and heartfelt delivery.
As the track progresses, the atmospheric textures become increasingly prominent, with warm strings, shimmering electric flourishes and delicate vocal harmonies combining to create a wonderfully rich soundscape.
Rather than building towards an explosive finale, Polyvinyl allow the arrangement to gently retreat, closing with a soft acoustic passage that feels both comforting and quietly devastating.
What makes ‘Seasons’ so remarkable is the band’s ability to transform something so deeply personal into a song with such universal emotional resonance.
There’s a maturity and confidence to the songwriting, with the decision to embrace a more stripped-back arrangement allowing both the melodies and the message to shine.
Tender, atmospheric and devastatingly beautiful, ‘Seasons’ reveals another side to a band whose musical versatility and songwriting continue to impress.
A hauntingly beautiful reminder that while the seasons may change, some memories never fade.
‘Seasons’ is released on Friday 23 October 2026.
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