Jersey-born, New York-raised, and Nashville-based, the Grahams subvert genre expectations on their upcoming album, Kids Like Us. Released last March, Kids Like Us is equal parts cinematic pop, heartfelt indie folk, and beyond, finding its place in-between the geographical influences of their comings-up. Its slick production makes for an easy escape while listening, but the couple crafted Kids Like Us, in part, to bear their most genuine selves. At times, that means tackling subject matter that isn’t quite so easy to elucidate, as is the case with “Don’t Give Your Heart Away”.
The Grahams’ dreamy single takes cues from classic pop music, exploring a modernity that is nevertheless informed by the likes of Brian Wilson and Patsy Cline. The sweet-sounding song features a harrowing, personal topic for the duo to convey, however, as Alyssa Graham tells PopMatters.
“In its most simplistic form, this song was written (in collaboration with our long time friend and co-writer BMC) as a cautionary tale for our daughter who at the time had not yet been conceived. However, it’s meaning goes far deeper and, at its core, is much more of a personal struggle than may come across upon first listen. Having met when we were seven and ten years old, and fallen in love soon after, Doug and I have lived a fairy tale romance. We have indeed already spent many lifetimes together and have been very fortunate. But, during the making of, Kids Like Us, which explores our coming of age together in the Jersey Suburbs, Doug and I were struggling in our ‘private’ life to have a baby.”