Paola Bennet – In This Body (2021)
Paola Bennet brings the sensation of being a stranger in your own body to your ears through the dark and melancholic tones of ‘In This Body’. With haunting vocals, she draws on her own experience with chronic illness to shed light on the exhausting struggle this can bring. While drawing you into the struggle, she also highlights how the pain from these illnesses is questioned by other people.
Through the deeply personal and honest soundscape, she works through difficult emotions and tough experiences. Taking on the stigma around mental health and the pain of panic attacks, she uses detailed songwriting to bring untold stories to light. Anyone listening to this track will be able to feel the pain and struggles while connecting with the emotions they invoke.
‘In This Body’ opens with a moody acoustic guitar that draws you into the melancholic flows of the track. The movement of the music fills you with a sadness that reaches deep into your bone marrow. When the drums hit, they only add to the melancholy of the music. More layers are added to the melody for a swell of sound that dips back to an endless feeling of monotony. Through the melody, you are filled with a sense of detachment from the rest of the world. The music builds throughout the track for a crescendo close to the end of the song as it howls out the pain of the vocals and lyrics.
Bennet’s vocals start out as downtrodden as the music. There is a tender feeling to her voice as she opens up and lets you see exactly what she is feeling. Woven into the melancholy of the vocals is a plea for someone to understand and help her. Through the lyrics, you are drawn into the endless cycles of doctors and detachment that comes with a chronic illness. As the music builds, her voice climbs higher and wraps around you with ethereal light. When the music peaks, her voice calls out again for understanding while swirling with all the emotions she keeps inside.
Paola Bennet offers a dark and melancholic look at living with a chronic illness in the moving tones of ‘In This Body’. With a building melody that howls out her pain, she connects you with the emotions of being a stranger in your own body. The vocals are delicate and vulnerable as she sets out the details of life and the pain others can bring to this.
Find out more about Paola Bennet on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
