Mario Anastasiades – No Place Like Home (2020)
No Place Like Home is the upcoming album by Mario Anastasiades bringing you up close and personal with his signature pop-folk style. Taking you on a journey through the different milestones and emotions of life, the album touches on the essence of loss. Each song relates to a different stage of loss. While Anastasiades’ own experiences were the foundation of this album, the universal emotions brought forth by any loss is deeply relatable.
With the darkness and loss that seems to creep into our lives every day, this album helps you move through these emotions and find the ray of light. No newcomer to the scene, Anastasiades uses his hard-earned experiences and skills to touch your soul.
The album starts with the title track ‘No Place Like Home’. The gentle guitar opening really makes you think of light lazily shining through the window of an old house. There are some intricate moments in the melody that you should look out for which are a treat for the ears. Anastasiades’ vocals are smooth and soothing as he talks about looking for love in the wrong places.
‘Let it Go’ has a more driving guitar opening, but retains the softness of the opening track. There is a lot more sadness in this song. This shines through in the lyrics that seem to stack disappointment on disappointment during the verses. However, the chorus lightens the burden you are under by encouraging you to let it go and move on. This song makes you swing between sadness and hope in the gentlest of ways.
There is a sense of lightness to the opening of ‘Seize the Moment’. The guitar has this higher tone as the melody reminds you of wide-open spaces and the happiness they can bring. Overall, this track has a motivational vibe to it as you are pushed forward to seize your dreams. The music video for this track captures this vibe wonderfully as you are taken through moments you need to grab. It is a wonderfully produced video that makes you want to get out there and do something.
‘Time’ has a completely different vibe to it with the more Latin inspired guitar opening. There is a darkness to this song that the melody build through a combination of guitar notes, piano and these strings that build up from far down. The vocal performance has this pain threaded through it while it pleads for an end to the emotional turmoil.
‘Vincent’ is a cover of the Don McLean song and tribute to the artist Vincent Van Gogh. A cover might seem strange, but the subject and lyrics of the track fit perfectly with the emotions of this album. This is a song that I really love and I have heard a lot of covers of it, but this is one of the best. There is a softness to the vocals and he hits all the right notes and emotions to fully hit you with the feelings of the track.
The next track is ‘Big Fat Emotion’ which could be a description for everything this album does to you but is actually a wonderful song. The melody grips you from the first moment with this unbelievable guitar line, but it is the strings that come in as a higher layer that really cut through you. This is my favourite song on the album not only for the melody but the lyrics as well. There is this raw honesty in the performance while the lyrics hit you deep in the chest and are just so relatable.
‘Hold on Tight’ has a flowing vibe to the opening that allows you to relax into it. There are a couple of layers to the melody that add to the lush music sitting below the vocals. Anastasiades’ vocals are very powerful on this track as he soars over you and draws you into the lyrics. He is able to set up the scene and emotions of this track perfectly and in such a way that you can’t help but be engaged.
The light tones of the guitar opening in ‘Rainbow Dreams’ remind you of the early morning when you are just waking up. There is an almost dreamy vibe to this track from the melody to the vocals. You can easily float along to this song as it places you on a fluffy cloud and pulls you along the rainbow.
‘Heavenly Star’ is the most haunting of the tracks on the album. It is a tribute to his daughter Natasha who sadly passed away. If this song doesn’t make you tear up even a little, there is something wrong with you. The music video adds to the emotional hit of the song. While you follow a young girl across various landscapes, there is something about the combination of the song and visuals that grips your heart and squeezes.
The album comes to an end with ‘You’ve Been Loved’. This track has the hardest folk vibes of the album but has this wonderful light and happy feeling. It lifts you up after the emotional hit of the last track. This is the song that brings you out of the darkness and places you in gentle sunlight. The music video for this song also makes you smile and gives you generally good vibes that sit as a warmth in your chest.
The journey through the stages of loss in No Place Like Home by Mario Anastasiades will reduce you to a quivering ball of emotion before lifting you up at the end. Each track hits you differently but together they create this amazing emotional journey.
Find out more about Mario Anastasiades on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
