Craigslist Personals starts with the kind of soft, shoegaze melodies that remind me of an entirely different time... Uncertainty, pensive emotions and delicate vocals combine to give this a mysterious and beautiful feeling. It’s a little bit Daughter, but also a whole lot of 90s indie rock. Think The Sundays, but with a hint of Cocteau Twins
On first listen, Craigslist Personals had me on tenterhooks as I waited to hear whether Wrenn had created a chorus that pays off on that sublime, melancholic quiet verse... And pay off it does, drums and a chugging guitar riff kick into a dreamy, hazy chorus that feels timeless and familiar.
The song itself is a deeply personal (no pun intended) message to an ex, processing the different experiences that we create for ourselves following the breakdown of a relationship. Describing the new song, The 22-year-old Californian native says:
“Craigslist Personals was quite literally a fever dream I had at 3 am. I had the flu, taken too much cough medicine, woke up at 3 am, and found myself in the stairwell of my parents' house admitting to myself that I was still completely in love with my ex-girlfriend. We both were living through delusions at that point, and she absolutely would not examine the false narrative she has constructed in her head. In that sense, the line in the chorus 'if you pretend I'm not around, can you pretend to hear me out' personifies the song in its entirety. I felt like I was just silently begging her to take a step back and view both our faults as partners as honestly as possible in order to grow for ourselves, and our future relationships. Instead, she found more comfort in finding someone new, cutting their hair, dressing them up in my clothes, and using this highly-constructed relationship to shield her from herself. The whole thing was like a poorly veiled personal ad I'm not even sure she knew she was advertising. This song was everything I wish she could have truly heard. I hope everyone else can hear it."