Brick Howze – Alessia Cara
A few months after releasing “Growing Pains,” the first single off her upcoming sophomore album, Alessia Cara delivered an acoustic version of the tune on Friday (Aug. 31).
With the guitar providing a melodic replacement for the original’s complex harmonies, Cara shows off her impressive vocal range as she nails the verses’ runs in a seemingly effortless flow. The intimate nature of the track captures the stresses of grown-up realities that keep her up at night, a bit of a contrast from the explosive synths of the studio version. This unwelcome weight of life is summarized in the song’s last line: “Now the monsters are the ones that I have to face/ No band-aids for the growing pains.”
Earlier in the day, she took to Instagram to share the meaning behind the baggy gray slacks and blazer, white button-down and colored tie featured on the single’s cover art and worn by the songstress and her band during every performance. “The oversized suit visually represents the idea of growing up too fast, or trying to fit ourselves into roles that can feel too large to handle,” she wrote. “We aren’t always prepared for life when it runs towards us full speed. sometimes it feels like we’re drowning in it a little, sometimes it’s mundane and stagnant. that’s what the suit is.”
Listen to the acoustic version of “Growing Pains” below. Cara’s album, The Pains of Growing, is due out later this year.
