Intro (8 bars) [Filtered nylon-string guitar riff + soft vinyl crackle] [Warm sub-bass fades in, distant conga taps] (spoken, almost whispered) “Sometimes love doesn’t break… it just changes shape.” [Shakers enter last 2 bars → drop] ⸻ Verse 1 [Full groove drops: dembow-Afrobeat hybrid, congas + shakers driving] [Conversational male vocal, close mic] We were counting months On a cracked screen glow You in winter coats Me in island clothes Midnight voice notes Laughing through the lag Saying “one more year” Like a promise Like a flag [Mini break: drums mute for 1 bar, guitar riff echoes] ⸻ Pre-Chorus (Lift) [Bass walks higher, subtle harmony enters] Distance makes the truth talk louder When silence learns your name We held on just long enough Not to turn love into blame [Drums pull back → breath] ⸻ Chorus (Big, but warm) [Full instrumentation + call-and-response backing vocals] Complicated love (still love) But it’s still love (still love) Even when we let it go It’s still love (oh yeah) We were oceans We were almost Now we bless what we had Then we both move up Complicated love But it’s still love [Last line sung solo → band cuts] ⸻ Post-Chorus Instrumental (4 bars) [Nylon guitar lead riff answers the chorus melody] [Afrobeat percussion fills, no vocals] ⸻ Verse 2 [Beat returns stripped: kick, bass, light conga] [Vocal slightly lower, more reflective] You said “This is hard” I said “So are we” But your friends got married Mine stayed in the street Different timetables Same tired eyes We chose gentle truth Over pretty little lies [Ad-libs whispered: “yeah… mm… I know”] ⸻ Chorus (Shortened) [Drop straight in, less dense than first] Complicated love (still love) Even when we let it go We were oceans We were almost Now we bless what we had Then we both move up Complicated love ⸻ Breakdown Bridge (Healing Moment) [All drums drop out] [Only bass pulse + finger snaps + airy pads] [Low vocal register, intimate] I don’t hate the miles They taught me your patience You don’t curse my name You just send vibrations When I see your face In a stranger’s laugh I just whisper thanks For a love that didn’t crash [Pause — silence half a bar] Just landed safe And passed ⸻ Build-Up (2–4 bars) [Snare roll with shakers rising] [Crowd-style backing vocals humming] [“Still love… still love…”] ⸻ Final Chorus (Full Power) [Everything in: congas, shakers, bass, guitar, harmonies] Complicated love (still love) But it’s still love (still love) Even when we let it go It’s still love We were oceans We were almost Now we bless what we had Then we both move up Complicated love But it’s still love ⸻ Outro (Instrumental Fade) [Guitar riff reprises intro melody] [Percussion slowly strips away] (soft ad-lib) “No scars… just lessons.”

Complicated Love