New York City has long been an oasis for creative ingenuity. There are so many elements of the one-of-a-kind city ripe for unforgettable moments, including it’s crowded, (faulty), always eventful train system. The MTA is one of the only places you’ll see someone dancing on a pole in front of an annoyed wall street banker, an activist ranting about capitalism and someone loudly rapping an ode to consumption from their earbuds — all in the same confined space.
In the midst of that madness, good things do happen — especially stories like Fritzwa’s “A train,” a tale of a chance encounter on the subway turned whirlwind romance.
“Commuting in New York where personal space is a luxury, typically you try to get a side seat where you’re only neighbored by 1 person instead of two,” Fritzwa said over e-mail. “This song is a story about a relationship sparked by sitting in the middle seat on an A-Train from Harlem.”
She originally wrote the track, from her debut Avenue A project, to production from IAMNOBODI, but recently performed it over compelling organs during a live session with Banana Stand. She wanted people to hear the song “stripped down,” which allows her sultry voice and enthralling narrative to take center stage.
The song has been the soundscape for shows on web series channel Black And Sexy TV, but the bare arrangement Is cinematic in its own right. The rousing piano play augment’s Fritzwa’s ability to shift between all-out crooning and melodically flowing as she sings about the ride that became a riddle.
You can stream Avenue A and the original version of “A-Train” below.
