Courtney Paige Nelson – “CYANIDE JAWBREAKER” [Song Review]

“CYANIDE JAWBREAKER,” the recently released new single from Courtney Paige Nelson, conveys the crushing feeling of being compared to someone else and not being good enough.

Nelson explains:

“Cyanide is poison, and jawbreakers take forever to dissolve, which was the perfect concept to relate to when the pain in a relationship is slowly eating away at you.”

Originally from San Francisco but now based in Los Angeles, Nelson was abused as a child and then booted out when she was 17. Using her inventive sound and candid lyricism, she’s become a rising tour de force in the music industry, receiving features in elite media outlets, including Billboard Argentina.

Her song, “See You Go,” written and performed by Nelson, appeared on Moore Kismet’s debut album, UNIVERSE. The song materialized on dozens of playlists, hit Beatport’s Top 50, and cut a swathe on Sirius XM. Her upcoming EP, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY IM A LITTLE ANGRY, is set for release this coming Fall.

Courtney Paige Nelson, photo by Sarah Midkiff

“CYANIDE JAWBREAKER” opens on dark, edgy tones, rolling into a potent mid-tempo groove topped by vibrating surfaces as Nelson’s poignant vocals imbue the lyrics with pressing, evocative timbres, timbres revealing compressed, corrosive emotions.

Providing an intimate narrative drenched in vulnerability, “CYANIDE JAWBREAKER” captures the sensation of being reduced to second best.

Run Time: 3:06
Release Date: March 1, 2024
Record Label: Independent