Cover art for a song about a suffocating relationship, by UK-based duo, Tugboat.
“Somebody’s Own,” Tugboat’s second single on Spotify, ponders the concept of belonging to someone in a relationship. The speaker confronts the unhealthy and unrealistic expectations placed on her by her significant other, exploring the sense of suffocation that can come with the pressure to be somebody’s everything.
Tugboat was looking for a simple, minimal illustration that went with their pastel aesthetic. I decided to represent the feeling of imprisonment in an unhealthy relationship through a simple line drawing of flower-bound hands, and I chose the pastel blue background to match the soft, melancholy tone of the song.
To go with the quirky, indie personality of the music duo, I handwrote the title and band name in a slightly rough-around-the-edges style.
The duo ultimately decided to go with a pastel pink background (seen below) to match their previous single’s cover.
