Riley Polanski lingered in the quiet devastation of melancholy with ‘Sad Again’, the alt-indie-folk lament from ‘Thought I’d Learn By Now’ –

For anyone sick of the cyclical carousel of sadness, Riley Polanski’s single Sad Again from the upcoming EP Thought I’d Learn By Now is permission to slip into stasis and witness some of the most tender talent on the airwaves in 2025. The LA-based indie folk-pop artist has long been known for weaving haunting storytelling with cinematic textures, exploring queerness, sobriety, and the fragile intricacies of connection with raw honesty. Here, that honesty takes centre stage.

The alt-indie-folk arrangement perfectly encapsulates the ache of inescapable melancholy as it visualises a kind of quiescent powerlessness against the forces that pull you into pensive submission. The chamber strings against the folk instrumentation create a pool of resonance that carries you through the bruising confessional, one that leaves your stomach in knots, your chest heavy, a sting in your eye as you absorb the account of futility and fear. It’s a stunningly artful exposition of how anyone with a proclivity towards sadness is likely one of the strongest people you know.

With a final touch of sonic dissonance through distortion and purposefully discordant layering, there’s no resolve at the end; the pain is amplified, made deliberately inescapable. Sad Again arrives as the final preview before Polanski’s highly anticipated EP release on November 5th, continuing their reputation for balancing emotional urgency with atmospheric soundscapes.

Sad Again is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast