A Very Honest Indie-Rock Single from
The Gentle Reckoning
The latest single release from The Gentle Reckoning showcases a lot of sort of brooding honesty, and this comes through with a bit of bravery simply because it touches on what it feels like to deal with things in a bit of a self-destructive manner. The outcomes and turnouts don't end up any better than where they started, and this track really expresses some of the loneliness that you can feel during those darker times.
Again, this is a very straightforward song when it comes to the lyrics. He's really letting a lot out and being quite vulnerable, which is one of the things that really grabbed me about the song. I feel like a song like this may have even been a bit cathartic for songwriter Jamie Wells, as he portrays those sorts of emotions in a descriptive manner.
This is also how I can tell it's genuine. The way they come through just feels right. There's something about them that lets you know they came from an authentic place, and at that place, during the writing of this song, he pulled himself back to wherever that was and utilized what he was feeling at the time to write those lyrics.
This is one of my favorite aspects about the song as a whole. I just like songs that dig deep the way this one does and in such an unafraid manner.
There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, of course, but for the most part, he's just letting a lot out, and the cool thing about songs like this is that when you really listen to them, you may not feel alone in whatever you might be going through at the time as well.
I wonder if Jamie realizes that songs like this can have those kinds of effects on others.
Maybe he does, and that's why he wrote it in the first place. To let others know that they're not alone in those darker times and they're not the only ones who got a little self-destructive dealing with it.
I feel like that's just human nature for a lot of us anyway.
This is how I interpreted the song, by the way. Others may not take it the same way, but I definitely took it in the way I explained, and maybe that's because of the person that I am and what I've been through.
Either way, this was a brilliant form of expression.
The song is called "Burning Away The Dawn."
It feels inspired by a bit of '90s rock that blends elements of indie rock with folk and singer-songwriter. You can hear certain folk influences throughout the song. The songwriting itself feels like that, but the way it comes through has a bit of a harder edge.
It's not like an alternative rock song by any means. It's lighter with the distortion, a little more indie rock than overly edgy, but it's very melodically driving.
There's some great guitar hooks throughout this track, which is something I love about it. Those guitar hooks can stick with you just as much as the choruses do. This is something I have missed with different kinds of rock music in the past few years, so I'm glad to hear it here.
It's just good songwriting. The song is actually catchy, Anthony, and again, so honest and real that you can't really turn away from it.
You get those sort of late-'90s vibes, especially from the drumming, and the drummer does a great job of keeping up this particular kind of energy that the song gives off.
The guitars come through in several different layers, which all sort of sit on top of each other and deliver powerful melodies, but because they're layered like that, you have this very boisterous soundscape that is thick with tone.
This makes the song feel deeper. There's more depth to how the aesthetic feels when you listen to it.
There's also organs in this track, but they're not like classic rock organs. They have a little bit of a different feel, almost like church organs do. And maybe that's done on purpose. Maybe they're supposed to feel like church organs because of the sentiment of the song. The ability to push through and find light after all of that dark.
I love when songs instrumentally or tonally represent certain elements of their lyrics.
It helps build a particular mood for those lyrics. I feel like that should always line up, although it doesn't always happen.
I feel like everyone really understood the mission here. The whole thing comes through as a catchy and vibrant kind of rock song that speaks and loads of truths.
Again, I could feel some of that older late-'90s, early-2000s rock influence coming through a lot during the course of this track. I grew up listening to a lot of that stuff, so I really got drawn into that aspect as well.
This is definitely not something you want to miss. I feel like it's a song that sends a message and does so in a way that people can understand, and all the while sticks to its rock roots while still showcasing those little hints of singer-songwriter or folk along the way.
So, dig into this one now; it's more than worth your time.
The Gentle Reckoning - 'Burning Away The Dawn' (Spotify Link)
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