Masquerading heartbreak and frustration underneath golden cheer take skill, but Didirri manages effortlessly on his latest single, The Critic.

If you weren’t actively listening to Didirri’s latest single, The Critic, you might not notice the angst within. Scratchy, muted guitars accentuate the Melbourne-based singer’s delicious, caramel voice while the lilting melody serves to both soothe and uplift. The Critic carries itself with hopeful optimism, despite reading as a love story gone awry. In particular, the line “Howling at the smallest case / I stumbled in fell to my fate,” brazenly exemplifies how the song earned its name.

On the song, Didirri explains:

The act of criticizing something can often ruin it. It may seem like the most intelligent move to analyse your every action but make sure you don’t over correct and start to see things beyond what is actually going on. Love needs to be free of criticism to flourish. You aren’t the expert in your relationship; you are half of the team and half of the problem.

The accompanying video, directed by Peter Hume, sees Didirri cycling through the same sequences as they get progressively worse. Roses bleed and smear and branches tangle in his long hair. These represent the accidental destruction that can come from overthinking and over complicating a relationship, no matter how well-intended or loving.

Further elaborating on the video, Didirri adds:

I wanted to play with the concept of a hopeless romantic. All too often we ruin something beautiful by naming it or wreck something fragile by touching it. We can start with the best foot forward and end up on a treadmill, circling in our analysis of love over and over. It’s not just the thorns that will scratch you, if coddled, love will bleed.

The Critic features on Didirri’s new EP Sold For Sale, out 25th September via Nettwerk Music Group.