Eleri Ward – Grieving The Future (2023)
Standing at the crossroads of musical theatre and contemporary pop music, singer-songwriter Eleri Ward is the point where everything meets. Embracing her natural talent as a storyteller, her melodies resonate with listeners in a captivating swirl of sound. Simplistic approaches with harmonic rhythms, you find the line of kaleidoscopic matching minimalism in Ward’s soundscape. The latest addition to her discography is the single ‘Grieving The Future’.
When we left US-based Eleri Ward, it was with her 2022 hit single ‘Perfect’. This was before the well-received Sondheim cover album, Acoustic Sondheim: Live from Brooklyn, or the national tour as support for Josh Groban. I wouldn’t say it was before she was internationally recognised as an artist because international blogs, radio stations and playlists were already singing her praises. In ‘Grieving The Future’, she is as sensational but with an original flair to the track.
With a penchant for exploring human fragility and vulnerability in a sophisticated song, ‘Grieving The Future’ tackles the complex weaving of thought, emotions and time. ‘Perfect’ had an empowering flavour slathered across the sensitive song; however, ‘Grieving The Future’ delves deep into the overwhelming, reality-distorting merely thinking about something can have on an individual’s current state. Ward explains:
“’Grieving The Future’ is an exploration of the act of robbing oneself of one’s current reality by way of living in and ultimately mourning a fantasy that hasn’t come to pass (crying over nothing) while actively trying to reclaim the present…”
Lying somewhere between Florence + The Machine and Sara Bareilles, ‘Grieving The Future’ adopts an electropop sound with slivers of neo-soul flitting along the edges. While the underlying beats punctuate a synth-driven melody pounding the melancholic despair of one’s imagination, Ward’s soulful vocals exude a soothing calm to lift the protagonist out of this “crying over nothing”. Synth harmonies act as a flowing sonic river but it is the bold vocals that lead the way without being overpowering.
For me, it is always Ward’s moving vocals that bring a sense of “my god that was good” to her masterful pieces. Exuding passion, power, warmth and a hint of obscurity, she once again elegantly traverses the desperation of a human spirit in ‘Grieving The Future’.
In addition to the single, Ward released an official music video for ‘Grieving The Future’. You can view it below or via her YouTube channel.
For more from Eleri Ward, check out her official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
