Luna Keller – Lighter Than Before (2024)
It’s fantastic that mental health issues, such as depression, are receiving more recognition nowadays. From charity events to portrayals in films and books, awareness is on the rise. Acceptance? Well, that’s another thing altogether. Regardless of acknowledgement and growing awareness, depression (as with many mental health conditions) remains taboo. People are afraid of it, it’s often “the elephant in the room” and those affected choose to hide the issue for fear of stigmatisation. One person who bravely stands up to lay the struggle bare is singer-songwriter Luna Keller.
Following critically acclaimed singles and albums, Germany-based Keller undertook a highly personal project detailing her journey. Using music as a catharsis and tool, she gives us an insight into the mind and soul of a person recovering from depression in her upcoming album, Ocean Inside Of Me. With a deep appreciation, respect and love for her music, The Other Side Reviews has enjoyed her tale over the past few months; the latest addition to the concept album is ‘Lighter Than Before’.
The ninth chapter of Ocean Inside Of Me, ‘Lighter Than Before’ takes another step toward acceptance and enlightenment after ‘She’s Not Good For Me’ and ‘Shoulder’. Produced with long-time collaborator Dominic Romano, ‘Lighter Than Before’ is a great rush of upbeat folk music, along with the bouncy acoustic guitar and even a choir.
One aspect I love about Keller’s music is how her vocals effortlessly capture each emotion in a pitch-perfect tone. Unlike ‘If I Was No More’, the painful torment disappears in ‘Lighter Than Before’; however, the hint of frailty continues but with strong empowerment and joy. With her voice and poetic lyricism, Keller tells us that we can overcome struggles to reach a happier place, but the vulnerability experienced and left behind is what makes us stronger.
“We can only see the stars at night, and walking through our darkness can help us to see and appreciate our own light more. I don’t want to take away from how terrible it was to go through depression… but I did go through it and since I can’t change that I might as well try to get something positive out of it… The inner work I had to do to pull myself out of that hole has become the foundation to the much healthier and joyful relationship that I have with myself…” – Luna Keller on ‘Lighter Than Before’
In addition to the single, Luna Keller released an official music video for ‘Lighter Than Before’. You can view the video below or on her YouTube channel.
Find out more about Luna Keller on her official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
Listen to more folk songs on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
