The DePatie Melt – The Viking Princess and the Troll King (2022)
The DePatie Melt turned songwriting norms on their head with the unconventional forms and engaging vocals of ‘I’ll Miss You’ before paying tribute to a friend in ‘The Song We Will Remember’. With ‘The Viking Princess and the Troll King’, he is bringing a blast of fun to a splash of improvisation. While visiting Norway a few years ago, the idea for this track first formed in his mind and he wanted to create a song that is fun to play and has an enjoyable story.
This idea finally came to fruition when John DePatie, the man behind the music, was on holiday with just a guitar and iPad. Merging his 80s upbringing with early rock tones, he recorded the melody and chords in record time and they have remained unchanged. The single comes with a music video that was shot during the actual recording and captures the magic of the song.
The guitars that open ‘The Viking Princess and the Troll King’ bring a layered feeling to the single. The lower guitar is gentle, like a babbling brook that winds its way through meadows, with the sun lazily glinting off it. There is an almost waltz feeling to this guitar line that relaxes your muscles and makes you want to sway to its movement. Soaring over this guitar line is the electric guitar that brings the body of the story to the single. Through the flow of this guitar line, you are led into the meeting of the characters of the single and the tentative blossoming of emotion between them.
There is an almost fairy tale edge to the movement of the music that puts a smile on your face. You can easily see the characters interacting with each other in your mind and the slow growth of affection. This single is yet another showcase of the prowess DePatie possesses with the guitar. While the guitars form the main flow of the single, the shuffle of drums below adds a sparkle of sunlight as it filters through the canopy of the woods. Each note of the instrumentation adds to the story of the single that clearly shines through the track. While there is a lot of emotion woven into the movement, what happens in the end is entirely up to the listener.
The DePatie Melt has you swaying to the guitar-driven tale of ‘The Viking Princess and the Troll King’. The instrumental single is an absolute pleasure to listen to as you sway to the movement of the guitars. Through the music, the story of the track plays in your mind and you can’t help but smile.
Find out more about The DePatie Melt on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
