“shoes” is an enthralling new single from Nathaniel Earl, an Austin, Texas-based artist whose sound delights here with an emotive, electronic art-pop gorgeousness. His work spans intimate songwriting, experimental textures, and compositional flourishes drawn from film and live performance. shoes serves as the first glimpse into his forthcoming debut album, What Follows What Remains, a deeply personal record written following his father’s passing and the loss of his long-term partner.
“shoes” wastes no time establishing a riveting atmospheric entrancement. Spacey synth swells pair with dreamy, wordless vocals for a palpable sense of momentum. “But you said you would be there for me,” they let out with vulnerable momentum, bolstered by beautifully effervescent synth additions as the one-minute turn approaches. The vocals’ patiently unfolding tone and the glistening, tranquil instrumentation make for an enjoyably heartfelt immersion to start.
A cathartic realization shows around the mid-point, where the electronic tones maintain their glowing ardor — while the vocals, instead of stewing in melancholy, come to a stark realization: “I’ll stay, you go.” Gliding piano work accompanies this consuming section, coming to terms with a beloved not being in future plans. “You forgot a pair of shoes, so hard to know, they’re all that I have left of you,” the vocals continue in this section, concluding: “Sometimes loving is letting go.” Capturing the pain of letting go, and also distilling that emotion into song, is conveyed with artful cohesion on Nathaniel Earl’s excellent “shoes.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
