Giveon’s new album Beloved is out today, and with it, another single taking a grown man look at love, loss, and loneliness. “I Can Tell,” like the rest of the album, is a throwback to a time when R&B exclusively featured live instruments and songwriters explored every aspect of falling in and out of love. This time around, it’s about the latter; the video opens with a train station farewell (a cinema staple from a true cinema lover) and follows the two former lovers as they sit with their regrets and memories.
The video does end on a hopeful note, with Giveon’s silhouette seen through the front door window, hesitating on whether to man up and knock or live with his mistakes. I’m a romantic; I’m betting he does the former.
The Long Beach native put in a lot of effort to differentiate his latest endeavor from much of the output of his contemporaries. Rather than relying on hip-hop production to stay relevant, Beloved is distinguished by a live band approach to songs like “Twenties” and “Rather Be,” with Giveon showing off his polished vocal prowess and delving deeper into relationship questions than “what are we?,” “u up?” or “your place or mine?” I really love it. Give it a listen, and you might too.
Watch Giveon’s “I Can Tell Video” above.
Beloved is out now via Epic Records. You can find more info here.