Noah Richardson, a Philadelphia native, has released "Painful," his first song of 2021, through Free Dive Records. At Little Brother Audio in Philadelphia, PA, Tyler Ripley mixed and mastered this music for Tyler Ripley.

Richardson's vocals and the smooth music on "Painful" instantly draw you in. You can hear the beginnings of a narrative coming to life. This song by Noah Richardson, a 23-year-old West Chester University alum, has universal appeal. When it comes to relationships, we have all been there.

This song is about somebody stuck inside of a love triangle, and knowing that regardless of the outcome it's going to hurt. However, you get just what you pay for when you fall in love and are in a love triangle. Someone's going to get hurt and it's going to be painful.

Richardson's inspiration for the song came to him while out with pals. Afterwards, Noah collaborated with producer Tyler Ripley to add layers, record, and mix the song over a period of months. From funky bass, jazzy guitar chords, RnB vocals to synthesisers and keys of a 90's hip-hop single, "Painful" has a lot of influences.

The instrumentation reinforces the sentimentality and creates a mood conducive to reflecting on previous or present romantic relationships. When you listen to "Painful," the thundering basslines and accompanying guitar rhythms provide the right atmosphere for the drama to take place.

The demo for painful came about during a practice session with my friends John Minehart(bass) and Dylan Korman (guitar). We were practising for some shows coming up and the two of them started getting into this chord progression/groove that was really soulful and heartbreaking. I kinda stood staring at the ground while they jammed it out, with the chorus melody pinballing around my brain. This must've been written on my face since Dylan looked at me and nodded his head like, "Oh yeah he's got something". From there, it was off to the races.

This song's pre-chorus, with its nearly whispering, intimate falsetto vocals, shows the thoughts and sentiments of a person caught in the emotional whirlwind of love and relationships.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0gQqbIVGqvc6JdCAdVMJoz?si=ed6a5352fd7e486c