Desert Life – Tangled Light (2023)
When we left Desert Life, the Welsh duo were tackling heartache and loss in their single ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’. With slips of folk-rock and toe-tapping joviality woven into the melancholic despair of receiving word of an ex-girlfriend’s newfound love, Desert Life easily transfer complex emotions into intimate tunes. Skip ahead a couple of months and the award-winning pair touches on the profoundness of love on a more conceptual level in ‘Tangled Light’. Come ask and answer some questions with Desert Life in their new single.
Following ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, singer-songwriter Chris Swales and multi-instrumentalist Tom Jordan capture the core and intricacies of humanity in ‘Tangled Light’. With a “John Lennon-esque story that questions love, life, religion and our place in the universe”, the pair ask those existential questions most of us have. The why, where, how, who and when of existing. Chris Swales explains, “’Tangled Light’ is the invisible energy between people. It’s what binds us, what attracts us, or even repels us. The song asks the listeners a number of questions…but also observations.”
We might be lost in a swirl of queries, but hope is what guides Desert Life’s music. The hope that we can overcome challenges in life to heal, learn and discover ourselves along the way. Swales further explains that ‘Tangled Light’ “…asks us whether we are alone in the universe. If we are, at least we have love.” Now love can be joyful, but it can also harbour a toxic sense of despair. The thing is, love is often what gets us through, what teaches us and helps us reach the light at the end of the tunnel – even if it means leaving love. Poetic lyricism and a moving melody elegantly capture the heart of this topic in ‘Tangled Light’.
Unlike the bold Americana sound in ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, the new single presents a soothing, gentle and mellifluous flow in the melody. Showcasing the raw sensitivity of Desert Life’s rich folk tone, the guitars, percussion and drums swirl about in a vulnerable haze. Yet, Swales’ vocals lift listeners up in a warm hug offering love and care in a world of confusion. Produced by Nick Swannell at Studio 49, a sophisticated elegance exists in ‘Tangled Light’; however, it is the bite of Jordan’s trumpet that really takes the song to another level – a sound that is entirely Desert Life.
For more from Desert Life, check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
