"Had To Let Me Go" is a great introduction to the beguiling, atmospheric blend of 90s R&B and contemporary electronic influences that Nite Jewel (LA singer-songwriter Ramona Gonzalez) presents in her fourth album Real High (2017). Sultry and confessional, the song features Gonzalez's crystal-clear vocals against Amthst-bandmate's guitar synths and Cole M.G.N.'s airy, euphoric production.
Gonzalez has noted that the track “explores a relationship that one enters into as a naive youngster with someone older and wiser. It channels the kind of excitement one feels when fostering love amidst difference, but coupled with the realization that this kind of difference can’t last". Her aesthetic of immersive confessionalism remains intentionally unspecific, however, featuring reiterations of the song title while charting out the familiar trajectory of love found to love lost in universal terms:
'You and I
Back in time
You do it well
And I was hot
But I was not
Nothing but a girl
Where we met
You knew then
That we were going to grow
Side by side
And then apart
You have to let me go
But I - I- I
Had never known that you
You decide
You had to let me go'
She has also noted that the confessional persona she exhibits on her albums are a far cry from her usual, guarded self - a contradiction that seems to add a heightened cathartic quality to the track:
"It’s Nite Jewel. It’s not completely me. There are parts of it that are very me, as far as subject matter and certain moments. To some degree, I’m creating a weird fantasy world where there is this woman singing who is more vulnerable and more sensual. She is open to talking about love and her love life. I think that’s why it’s a release for me, because I can’t do that on a daily basis as much [...] Some people make music differently, where they’re making more commercial music, or music that’s directly related to their experiences. But I guess albums for me are always going to be about creating this character Nite Jewel who is the vulnerable side of myself who gets to say all these things."
Ramona Gonzalez, Bandcamp
