We Speak Music

Clarity Liao opens a new chapter with the emotionally charged “Love You More”

Published

2 months ago

May 13, 2026

Clarity Liao is entering a bold new phase. The San Francisco singer-songwriter’s latest single, “Love You More,” feels like a soft late-night confession wrapped in shimmering pop production and understated R&B influence — a track that captures the complicated beauty of loving someone in silence. Honest and emotionally immersive, it signals an artist growing more fearless in her vulnerability.

Having written songs since she was seven years old, Liao has already cultivated an impressive creative résumé. As the principal songwriter for Navillera, she helped steer the success of their breakout single “Too Young,” which won the 2024 Yamaha National Best Popular Music Award. She followed that achievement with “I Need You,” a composition that earned first place in the YMS 2025 National Composers competition. But while those milestones showcased her songwriting ability, “Love You More” feels like the clearest expression yet of who Clarity Liao is as an individual artist.

The single began life as a stripped-back piano ballad before evolving into something smoother and more rhythmically layered. Drawing inspiration from artists like SZA and BABYMONSTER, Liao introduces subtle bass-driven textures that give the track a modern, fluid feel without sacrificing intimacy. It’s polished but never detached, balancing softness with emotional depth.

What makes “Love You More” particularly compelling is its emotional precision. “Nothing really hurts / but it hurts that you don’t know me” lands like a whispered realization, encapsulating the ache of wanting to be fully understood by someone who remains just out of reach. Rather than dramatizing heartbreak, Liao focuses on the quieter emotional fractures — the ones that linger beneath the surface long after words go unsaid.

The track also offers a promising glimpse into her upcoming EP Dear…, an introspective collection exploring themes of longing, jealousy, rejection, and healing through the format of unsent emotional letters. Influenced by everyone from Bruno Mars and Adele to Olivia Rodrigo, Clarity Liao is shaping a sound that feels both emotionally grounded and sonically adventurous. “Love You More” confirms she’s an artist stepping confidently into her own voice — and one listeners will want to follow closely.

We Speak Music

The Songs of Butler & Cupples Prioritise Craft on Intimate New Single ‘Better off Lost’

Published

5 days ago

July 3, 2026

Brett Wylie

Following the momentum of their first three breakout releases earlier this year, genre-fluid project The Songs of Butler & Cupples have returned with ‘Better off Lost’. A stripped-back, intimate offering that further sharpens their songcraft-first ethos, the release reinforces the duo’s position as one of the most forward-thinking, emerging songwriting projects operating outside the traditional band framework.

Conceived entirely as a vehicle where pure songcraft remains the central focus, The Songs of Butler & Cupples was formed in direct response to a contemporary music landscape increasingly shaped by image, algorithms, and visual perception rather than musical composition.

Led by two highly experienced industry songwriters, the project is intentionally fluid. It allows musical ideas to dictate their own final form without being restricted by rigid genre conventions or commercial chart expectations. With ‘Better off Lost’, the pair turn inward, embracing an acoustic-led direction underpinned by Americana-leaning textures and delicate, emotive vocal arrangements.

Sonically, the track marks a further evolution in their rapidly expanding creative palette. Built around a gentle acoustic guitar foundation, ‘Better off Lost’ foregrounds vulnerability and vocal performance above all else. The raw emotional delivery is elevated by subtle, layered harmonies and understated pop sensibilities that give the track its modern, polished edge.

The duo’s stylistic range has already drawn comparisons to boundary-pushing artists such as Miley Cyrus and Kacey Musgraves, whose recent celebrated works have helped reframe contemporary Americana within the broader pop landscape. Like those icons, Butler & Cupples demonstrate a versatile range that fiercely resists easy categorization.

Across their 2026 discography, they have proven comfortable shifting between entirely different sonic worlds, including: Electronic-Leaning Production: Utilising sleek, modern digital textures. Experimental & Rock Influence: Embracing grittier, guitar-driven edge and unpredictable structures. Acoustic Minimalism: As heard on the new single, proving that a strong emotional through-line remains intact regardless of the instrumentation.

Rather than chasing viral TikTok trends or tailoring their masters for playlist algorithms, the project remains deeply rooted in strong structural songwriting, genuine emotional resonance, and absolute creative freedom.

At its core, The Songs of Butler & Cupples functions as an open creative framework without built-in limitations or outside expectations. ‘Better off Lost’ stands as another clear statement of intent from the duo: that well-crafted songs, when given proper breathing room and unfiltered honesty, still possess the power to cut through the modern noise.