“Ain't Quite Right” by Still Blank – A Song Feature

      The heartbeat of “Ain’t Quite Right” lies in its driving rhythm section and a vocal delivery that leans more rhythmic than melodic. The song by Still Blank has a boiling frog effect—not because the temperature gradually rises unnoticed, but because the listener might not realize the intensifying energy from the already charged beginning to the electrified presentation at the 2:30 mark.  
 
     The vocal skills of Still Blank are showcased starting at 3:30, after the final verse is completed and the “ain’t right” assertion carries the song to its conclusion. The band is the duo of Jordan (“Jordy”) Fleming and Benjamin (“Ben”) Kirkland. Jordy described “Ain’t Quite Right” as follows
  “We wrote the song around Christmas in rainy Manchester while listening to a lot of Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey. Usually, Ben leads the music and I work on lyrics and melody, but this one flipped. We wanted it to feel on edge—building tension. The lyrics explore a dysfunctional relationship where both sides are suffocating, and neither can let go. The guitar almost talks back to the vocal, responding with this jarring energy that adds to the unease.”
 
      This is the second release from Still Blank, joining “What About Jane,” which is described as a Grungy, Folk-inflected reflection on identity, societal perception, and the expectations we’re forced to confront to uncover who we really are. That description does not touch on the Shoegaze contributions of the song.
 
The bio of the band explains:
  “Still Blank’s sound was born from unlikely roots. Jordy grew up immersed in the natural rhythms of island life in Hawaii, gigging at weddings and fundraisers by her early teens while drawing inspiration from Hawaiian traditions and the deep solitude of Kaua’i. Ben, raised on Manchester’s rich musical legacy and early pub gigs with his dad’s band, developed a taste for ambient textures, citing The Durutti Column and Vini Reilly as formative influences.”
 
     “Ain't Quite Right”

Lyrics of “Ain't Quite Right” by Still Blank
I lay down, I watch her breathe
My senseless lamb of ecstasy
I’d peel your mind
And snatch all of your dreams
 
She would fall in the dirt if she saw me betray
So I’ll cover my tracks and I’ll wash em away
Although It ain’t quite right
It ain’t quite right, you say
 
Ain't quite right
Ain't quite right
 
You bite my tongue, a palm to cheek
I choke your brain in naked sleep
Oh it ain’t quite right
I know It ain’t quite right
 
In the burning silence, peel my eyelids
Slam the door I’m locked outside
But in a minute you’ll say don’t ever leave me alone
 
Alone (Repeating)
 
Ain’t quite right (Repeating)
 
Storm out of the car and into the kitchen
China flies against a picture
Eyes on fire, words spewing hand grenades
 
Reach for the knife, go and take my head
But it’s not my life as your breast turns red
And now you ain’t quite right
Oh It ain’t right
 
I know it ain't quite right
Oh it ain't right
 
You know it ain't quite right
Oh it ain't right
It ain't right

     “What about Jane” by Still Blank