Zerbin, “Bonnie Doon”

An anthem of the one who gets left behind.
The one who has to stand by with a forced smile as their ex saunters off into a new life with new love. The one who succumbs to the unhealthy temptations of obsessively scrolling through their ex’s profile to consume even more images of their new life with new love. The one who lies and says, “I’m so happy for them!”, when a friend asks about their ex’s new life and new love.
The one who gets left behind…but thankfully those who are left behind can find soulful, compassionate and 100% relatable company in Canadian-based Zerbin’s latest indie pop single, “Bonnie Doon”.

Jason Zerbin


“I heard it on passing/ Can’t even understand/ Are you going to change your last name? / Have you gone and made a plan”. Sigh…the Tonemamas feel these lyrics. In a world that is oversaturated with heartbreak songs you’d think we would have grown immune to them but when done right…they still hit just where it hurts. The quality of the mix is astounding – all the different elements land right in the center of our brain and compliments and emphasizes the artist’s unique voice so that it feels like Jason Zerbin sings just to us.

Jason Zerbin

His voice is direct but resigned in tone and it makes his message land with so much weight. There are no audible words in what we assume is the chorus – it’s just a swirling of humming and vocal sounds that feels like a comforting musical embrace for those of us who have been in his position. It’s beautiful – it’s a wordless declaration of surrender to all that consumes us when we feel abandoned, lost or left behind.

Best listened to while: Clearing out the clutter of your ex’s belongings – let this both be a message of consolation and courage

Listen for this moment: 01:50 – the bridge/ break down with a retro-sounding bass synth that will have you grooving with your heartbreak

Follow Zerbin here

Leave a Reply