It’s true, Canadian singer-songwriter Goldie Boutilier contains multitudes.
With the soul of a poet, the bleeding heart of a rock star, and the precision of a visionary, Boutilier continues to merge deeply personal storytelling with a nostalgic, feminine cinematic aesthetic.
“How To Be A Lover” is built around a playful concept: a manual Goldie wishes men were given when they first learn to read. Serving as a blueprint for intimacy, the track lyrically explores the gap between the relationships we wish we had and those we accept out of convenience, or for reasons we’ve invented along the way.
Sonically, the song runs 4 minutes and 26 seconds, pairing buoyant synth pop energy with a driving, noir-leaning edge. Goldie’s vocals sit front and center in the mix, as though she’s singing directly into your ear, pulling the listener into her world until they’re fully engulfed in her sentiment.
The chorus is catchy, hypnotic, and simple enough to lodge itself in your mind, reflecting the message she ultimately wants listeners to take away. Overall, the production serves as a driving contrast to her topline melody and signature expressive vocal delivery, which remains clear and accessible while floating effortlessly above the instrumental.
In its visual counterpart, the video reinforces the track’s message that women are done with settling and that the bare minimum is no longer enough. Through green-lit B-roll and an 80s-inspired, lo-fi nocturnal aesthetic, the camera follows Goldie as she entrances a man wearing a monster mask, her golden gaze holding him in a trance. The subject of the song becomes this goblin-like figure she’s pulling under her spell.
Boutilier is an artist overflowing with ideas and a “won’t stop, can’t stop” energy. “How To Be A Lover” stands as another defining moment in her catalog, reinforcing a clear precedent: women are, and have always been, in control.
Connect with Goldie Boutilier: Website | Instagram
Photo Credit: Greg Swales
