Today, LA-based songwriter Nacho Cano returns with his second Harmless LP, By Them, By You, By Me, a concept album of sorts about heartbreak—although not necessarily in a romantic sense. These 10 songs examine the process of “falling out of love with your sense of self and your passion,” as Cano tells us, as well as the disillusionment that tends to creep in as we age. The title track, for example, focuses on feelings of losing touch with an unfamiliar world. “I wrote this song on the eve of my birthday,” he shares. “As I get older and the world changes, I find it harder to feel a sense of place or belonging.”
It almost feels like a cruel joke that as Harmless was preparing to film a “Neighborhoods” session for us outdoors in his hometown, ICE began its sweep of the city, quite literally making the immigrant Cano feel like someone who doesn’t belong. It gives a whole new meaning to “by them, by you, by me,” which he wound up performing as an acoustic “FLOOD Session” indoors at a friend’s studio space with a backing vocalist. “As an immigrant, I did not wanna call attention to myself outside,” he explains.
Check it out below, and stream the new LP here.
