Houston-born R&B artist Bryant Barnes released his new single “Two Sides of Goodbye” on July 11th. Barnes, a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, has many popular hits including “Why Can’t You” “Is This Love To You” and “I’d Rather Pretend.” He originally went viral on tiktok for piano covers, but now has millions of streams on his EP Vanity. Barnes has been featured on Genius and at 19 years old, Vevo declared him as a DSCVR 2025 Artist to Watch.
“Two Sides of Goodbye” is a beautiful ballad. It’s a classic break-up song, but it’s anything but cliche or boring. If you’ve never heard Barnes’s vocals before, he has a very distinct tone that fits this type of slow, syrupy song. His harmonies in this song add another layer to the production that makes a more complex sound. The instruments are pretty basic here, but it adds to the song more than anything. The piano is soft but steady in the background, and the addition of strings right before the chorus is just a little touch to support Barnes’s vocals.
The single’s main story is about how the singer feels like he’s heartbroken by this break-up, while the other party has seemingly moved on. The chorus gives the listener this:
“I’m stuck in our memories
You’re making new ones without me
Smiling while I cry
We’re on two sides of goodbye”
It’s the idea that one person is ready to move on and the other just isn’t yet, which I’m sure many listeners have related to at one point or another in their life. Something I love about “Two Sides of Goodbye” is that the song isn’t about placing blame on one party or another. Barnes in the second verse sings “I”m not being jealous, I just wanna know what it’s like” which explains the tones and emotions behind the song. It’s not bitter, which for me makes the song even more emotional.
If you want to see more of Bryant Barnes, he’s currently on the Withered Tour with artist D4vd. “Two Sides of Goodbye” sets the tone for a debut full-length album to come out later in 2025.
