Pop singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna has released ‘October’, a heartfelt song about the artist’s favourite month, and the journey they are on to reclaim it after experiencing a relationship breakdown during this cherished time.

Lavagna’s vulnerability is felt straight away with the track beginning with just vocals, treated with reverb to feel ghostly – alone. It’s a direct parallel to the ‘ghosting’ experienced by the singer, emotionally connecting her audience to the track and the authenticity of the lyrics. Singing ‘October used to be my favourite month’, Lavagna gets to the crux of the song’s theme and provokes investment from her audience as we wonder what happened to incite this statement. The use of this lyrical hook demonstrates Lavagna’s songwriting capabilities and ability to craft a sonically beautiful moment whilst promoting intense curiosity in her listeners.

As the track unfolds, a deep sense of hurt and regret grows, with the lyrics explicitly narrating the powerful heartbreak felt by Lavagna as the year goes by. Her vocals carry the emotion throughout, with a stunning interweaving of deep, depthy tones and starker, higher register phrases. These moments are balanced with Lavagna’s control of power, restraining the vocals in times of deep reflection and unleashing into a belt when emotions overcome her. This control – or orchestrated sense of lack of control – give the track a performative feel, as if Lavagna is singing this for the first time, these emotions raw and unprocessed.

Structurally, the track builds with the climatic bridge bringing the song to a hugely powerful moment. Here Lavagna repeats ‘You’ve stolen my October’ and ‘October used to be favourite month’, in incredible belted phrases. Supporting this intensity, the acoustic instrumentation thickens, with layered strings creating a dense timbre that’s distinguished with varying rhythmic melodies. The instrumentation feels most triumphant here, with the mix having felt sparse and a little too spacious before. Whilst this exaggerated vulnerability, the piano would have benefited from a more central pan to give the mix a little warmth.

‘October’ is a deep expression of hurt and anguish, beautifully portrayed through a vocal-led narrative. The track adds a maturity to Lavagna’s repertoire, demonstrating the artist’s mastering of her art. Having had huge success with single ‘Gold’, with support from BBC Radio Wales, ‘October’ is sure to follow in its footsteps, becoming the sound of autumn 2024.