Saves the Witch – Embers and Ashes (2021)
The interwoven instrumentation of ‘Dear Edna’ had us wandering down a path of contemplation. Now, Saves the Witch turns his instrumental prowess to finding hope while stuck in a hopeless mindset. ‘Embers and Ashes’ takes a meditative stroll through hopelessness to immerse you in the melancholy of the mindset.
This meander through darkness and malaise is reflective as it slowly creeps toward a sense of upliftment. Using glassy sounding guitars packed with reverb, the energy of the single warbles down the path laid down by Saves the Witch. While there is a lot of darkness within the track, the mix of dream pop and alternative rock creates a soundscape that is ripe for full immersion.
‘Embers and Ashes’ grabs your attention with deep and rather morose beats. The guitar calls out over the beats like fog drifting between the trees of a forest. It is a really chilled guitar line that invites you to sit on chilled grass and just relax into it. While relaxed, there is a feeling of endlessness to the music that swirls like mist that you can’t see through. This is a wonderful sonic representation of a hopeless mindset. There is a sense of safety and comfort within the mindset but there is also no way out. The reverb of the guitar adds a glassy feeling that lets you know it would be cold to the touch.
As the single progresses, the slippery feeling to the guitar drops slightly as it seems to warm and thaw. The foggy setting of the soundscape starts to break and you are able to glimpse through the haze to see the light that burns the chill away. The further down the soundscape you float, the lighter the feeling becomes as you see the first glimmers of light beyond the wall of sadness and hopelessness. While there is a glimmer of light, it remains just out of reach throughout the single. This lets you know that there is something beyond the feelings that encase your spirit but that you need to work to get to it.
Saves the Witch takes you on an instrumental journey through melancholy toward a glimmer of hope in ‘Embers and Ashes’. It is a delicate instrumental number that swirls with heavy mists only to lift and point you in the direction of hope. Relaxing yet powerfully moving, the single is unbelievably easy to listen to and sink into.
Find out more about Saves the Witch on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
