Karley Scott Collins "Better Strangers" Song Review

Up-and-comer Karley Scott Collins has erupted on the country music scene in 2022, and with each release, she gets more relatable and grittier as she sinks her teeth into her broken heart. With the newest drop "Better Strangers," Collins takes her listeners right into an open wound in her heart about an inescapable relationship.

Collins wrote the single with Nashville songwriting loyalty Liz Rose, who was recently given a nod with a "Song of the Year" nomination at the upcoming 2023 Grammys. "Better Strangers" opens with a sweetly picked guitar instrumental. When Collins' voice enters, it exudes allure with a dark, honeyed rasp. Within the first verse, Collins envelops listeners in her dire situation; she can't seem to shake off a haunting ex. The opening stanza ends with a simply phrased liner that packs a wicked punch: "I could meet the girl I'd be if I didn't know you / But, boy, I know you."

The chorus takes the stripped-down sounding verse into a detonated, angry chorus. She exclaims, "I wish we were better strangers / You never said all the right words / And I never believed in fairy tales." Collins is direct, pessimistic, and regretful in her lyricism, but what hits the hardest despite the visceral words, is the way she uses her low-toned voice to burst with emotion. Even if listeners haven't been in Collins' position, she seeps her desperate words into their souls, begging for empathy.

When the bridge arrives, the track bursts into its most vexing and unapologetic moment yet. Collins' agony grows and grows into a growling cry, once again showing off the range of her darker vocals. Holding nothing back, she yells out, "Wish I could take back all my secrets / Take back all my tears / Wish you were somethin' I didn't believe in / Like you were never here."

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