Charlie Puth & Blackbear Bring Comfort with ‘Hard on Yourself’

Finding a nice niche for themselves on the list of powerful collaborations is Charlie Puth and the up and coming, blackbear. The duo teamed up for a syrupy-sweet number titled, ‘Hard on Yourself’. 

The tune tosses up a tinkling guitar riff with a set of catchy beats and charming harmonies. While this cocktail of production elements lay the foundation of the song, the rest of ‘Hard on Yourself’ is decorated with Charlie’s pretty, melodic runs. The charmer explores familiar territory with this number, both in terms of melody and songwriting. Ultimately, it’s blackbear’s fresh, groovy verses that adds a new flavour to the song. It’s also worth mentioning that their harmonies are quite beautiful, particularly towards the climax of the track. And so, we can firmly say that it’s these two redeeming factors that shake off the plain familiarity of the ‘Hard on Yourself’. 

Charlie Puth & Blackbear Encourage Self-Love

And yet, lyrically, ‘Hard on Yourself’ doesn’t shine as bright as we’d hoped it would. The songwriting is detailed, charming albeit a tad bit cliched. The verses arrive with a sense of comfort and reassurance, much like the gentle melodies of the song itself. In this tune, we see the duo plead to their lovers to stop trying to “be like someone else”. Charlie and blackbear encourage self-love and acceptance in their lovers, a quality that’s harder to come by these days. Here, take a look at the lyrics:

I can see you’re struggling
Promise you’ll find love again
Yeah, it will be alright
Why are you so hard on yourself?

Yeah, why you gotta try so hard?
Counting calories and carbs
Another trip across the world
I go so hard tryna
Make you feel just like a queen

Now, while the song might be lyrically predictable, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Charlie Puth and blackbear create magic with their melodies. ‘Hard on Yourself’ is out now on all streaming platforms. 

By: Nina Karun