Aoun dropped off a new single “Smoker’s Cough (Afterword)” recently. Get ready; this song is going to take you on a path of self-examination and it is the second single off his upcoming album “The Shepherd and All Her Beautiful Sheep.”
“Smoker’s Cough (Afterword)” by Aoun is a moving story about time passing, isolation, and the difficulty to escape from the vicious circle of habits. The lyrics, although simple and honest at the same time, give us an in-depth look into the author’s struggle and thoughts.
The song starts with an acoustic guitar riffs and a cough sound, which tells more about the message Aoun shared in the song. Aoun chose to keep his performance live and unpolished which conveys the genuineness of the song, providing the listeners with the ability to make a more intimate connection with the exposed feelings.
In the lyrics, Aoun recounts the stages of life—i.e., quitting smoking at different ages, suffering loss, and facing terror of aging—Aoun tackles the central issues of mortality and regretting. The refrain “I’ll quit smoking” serves as a ring-song, emphasizing the cyclical nature of his struggles and how hard breaking out of destructive behavior could be.
As the song goes on, Aoun’s deep thoughts go on, which ends up in a bitter acceptance of his own death. In this context, the opposition between vulnerability and resilience in his words captivates the audience, inspiring them to think about their lives and the mindset changes that empower them.
Only acoustic guitar was played throughout the song to back Aoun’s delivery which made his vocals stand out. The sheer authenticity of his delivery is what makes the song haunting and comforting which will leave listeners hanging on to every word until the last note dies away.
“Smoker’s Cough (Afterword)” is a meditation on the human condition, a reflection of the temporal nature of life and a demonstration of the musics’ ability to overcome words and emerge to the soul.
