Have you been through a breakup that left you feeling shattered and alone? Are you pondering what it means to grow through your twenties and find purpose? Well, so is Colin Tracey, better known as Comfort Club. His debut album, The Fear of Moving On, explores the feelings of those of us who love too hard, struggle to let go, and are afraid to be alone.
In an interview with Radio Free Brooklyn, Tracey said the album is a creative project that allowed him to cope with the complicated emotions of his first true heartbreak. “Feeling like I wasn’t good enough for someone I loved made me feel like I wasn’t good enough for anyone,” he said.
“Two Kids in a Trenchcoat” is the lead track and the one Tracey said best exemplifies the album’s key themes. Originally released as a single, the song follows a familiar post-breakup narrative: feeling like the love you had to give wasn’t enough. Tracey uses images and scenes to craft a story that listeners can relate to, specifically those of us who have gone through this sort of ending before. For example,
Now I cry every morning
As I wait for the shower warming up
And I thought crying was your thing
I guess I just couldn't get enough
Waking up after a traumatic event with the world still the way you left it is a raw, visceral image that listeners can relate to. Emotions seep in swiftly, clouding the day before it even begins. Tracey also illustrates how parts of normal life weave into the memories of your previous partner. In this case, crying is boiled down to the remnants of the relationship.
The chorus repeats,
And you said you'll stay forever even when you know you won't
Cause we're just two kids in a trench coat
Trying to both feel less alone
These few lines display naivety and youth so simply. The couple tried to make themselves into one, but ultimately, the facade was shattered. Describing a relationship as children playing a game in a jacket so perfectly represents what love is, especially in your twenties. It’s messy, it’s chaotic, partners are immature, and so are we. We try to act like adults who are put together, but we all fall apart at the same time.
In describing why this track is his favorite, Tracey said, “On paper, it wouldn’t make the most sense, but the song is so tied to the emotions the album itself evokes. If people are connected to this truly emotional piece, then they’ll be on for the whole ride.”
I asked Tracey what the hardest part of his music creation process was. “For me, a lot of it is the disconnect between the hours of when you want to make music and when you have time to actually do it,” he explained. “Because I have a 9-to-5, there is a gap sometimes in when I’m inspired by something and when I actually have time to do something about it.”
Tracey went on a self-run US tour to promote the new album, making stops in LA, Detroit, and New York City.
I enjoyed watching his performance along with about 100 other people at the Mercury Lounge in the Lower East Side on May 19th, a Sunday evening. The lights were low, the drums were kicking, and Comfort Club was ready for action. Accompanied by his brother on bass and a drummer, it was an intimate venue, the perfect setting for such an emotional music set. As an incredibly anxious person, I often presume that I am unique in how I perceive the world. Being in a room like this reminds me how similar we all are.
Tracey played Mercury Lounge once before, in 2021. “I actually had a TikTok go viral about playing the gig there, and we sold it out!” he told me. “So it feels really special to be able to come back and play again. Right now, the room is about half sold out for The Fear Of Moving On tour, so it’s going to be really fun.”
In our conversation about TikTok, we discussed social media more generally. Tracey said apps like Instagram and TikTok have benefited his career so far, commenting on how they allow more people to view his work in multiple mediums.
“Social media has been a good way to connect with people and have them show positive feedback on my work. People can interact and we talk back and forth, yeah, I think I have a pretty healthy relationship with social media. It’s been nothing but positive,” he said.
I’ve been a fan for a while, so my favorite song Comfort Club performed on Sunday was towards the end of the night, the 2019 single, “New Ways to Miss You.” Yes, it’s a song about a breakup. Sensing a pattern here? More specifically, the message delves into how the reminders of the people we used to be with are integrated into the small things we do daily.
The track ends with what I think summarizes what Tracey is considering throughout the album,
I know I'll be alright it'll just take time
But lately all I do
Is find new ways to miss you
Ending a relationship does not mean the feelings dissipate. We all know the feeling of not being able to let someone go; the ways you miss them evolve in different ways as time goes on. Is that feeling just a fear of moving on? Or is that the definition of love?
