Kristiane Burns Bright and Bitter in “Beacon”
photo via Instagram
“I am a beacon, I’m on fire, waiting for you.” Goodness, if that doesn’t capture the feeling of longing we’ve all experienced, when we’re willing to shine our brightest just to catch the smallest bit of someone’s waning attention?
These are the opening lines of indie pop-rock rising star Kristiane’s newest single, “Beacon”. If you’re caught up in a complicated on-again, off-again relationship, or even a friendship, I urge you to listen with both caution and reckless abandon, preferably with the windows down at 70 mph on a hot summer day.
Mellow, eclectic guitar and a soft, head-nodding drum beat set the scene for an introspective two minutes. The track carries a hint of angst and regret, but not in a gritty, confrontational way. Rather, it feels like a quiet acceptance, with a lingering sting that stays with you despite all the healing you do.
Speaking of healing, the song captures the difficult process of learning to override your instincts. In the chorus, Kristiane sings, “Are you pleased with me now? I’m not coming back around,” reflecting the moment when you finally realize you have to stop going back to someone who hurts you.
Yet, she also acknowledges how hard that is, with the repeated line, “And I just can’t get it through my head that I’m just making the same bets.” It’s a raw admission of how easy it is to get caught in the cycle of hoping someone will love you back, even when you know better.
As I often tell my friends when they’re stuck in confusing relationships (aka the term everyone loathes in 2025, “situationships”) sometimes, especially when you’re young, you have to be tangled up in those messy orbits before you can truly break free, no matter how many warning signs you see along the way.
In my humble opinion, “Beacon” is a stellar single and earns its place on my growing list of Kristiane tracks (namely “Sleep Through The Fire” and “Debt Collector”) that I recommend to anyone craving a fresh female voice singing about the messiness of early adulthood growing pains.
