Drafted for Indie Music Blog in 2022
“Do you mind that I’m falling apart?” The last few months have created internal questions and altered relationship dynamics as many have shifted into extended isolation. The brevity of life is clear as the global pandemic continues.
We wander in search of meaningful belonging, while gaining a new strength in solitude. We fall apart to rebuild stronger. We allow our dreams to remodel our reality. We test even our strongest bonds for authenticity. “You love me but you don’t know me.”
Both Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine create work which transforms mundane experiences into the brilliant and meaningful. Each piece guides us to ask our own questions. This August release is no exception, one of four singles the labelmates have publicized in preview of their upcoming album, A Beginner’s Mind, releasing later this month. Known to evoke emotion, Sufjan Stevens also released his five-volume meditation-worthy instrumental album Convocations earlier this year.
While inspiration was sourced from viewing the film “Return to Oz”, Sufjan and Angelo’s powerful lyrics are moldable to the listener’s interpretation. Verses of poignant truth contrast with the buoyancy of the bright chorus. A following guitar solo parallels rebellion to expectations. Their union of their voices resonates effortlessly.
This collaboration by Sufjan and Angelo frees us to unearth our dreams, which may be represented by “Oz”. The significant events of the last months have caused us to resist stifling perceptions to follow our personal calling.
“Back to Oz” gives us permission to escape back to our truest selves, even if that journey must be taken alone. Love and freedom battle. Old patterns adapt in growth. If sustained, pandemic relationships are a union of survival in uncertainty and devotion amid trauma. Whether finding home in a person or within ourselves, without clicking heels, “I survived but I’m still afraid.”
Top 10 2021 Releases
Listed By Release Date
“Eugene”, Arlo Parks: Collapsed in Sunbeams, 1/29/21
“Pure Imagination” cover, Kevin Garrett: Single, 2/5/21
“look up”, Joy Oladokun: in defense of my own happiness, 6/4/21
“Hot & Heavy”, Lucy Dacus: Home Video, 6/25/21
“Motorbike”, Leon Bridges: Gold-Diggers Sound, 7/23/21
“Witchoo”, Durand Jones and the Indications: Private Space, 7/30/21
“91”, Bleachers: Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, 7/30/21
“Back to Oz”, Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine: Single, 8/10/21
“Nothing Else Matters”, Phoebe Bridgers: Single, 8/11/21
“Oceanic Feeling”, Lorde: Solar Power, 8/20/21
Honorable Mentions:
“mine”, LOONY: soft thing, 6/24/21
“Keep Moving”, Charlotte Day Wilson: Alpha, 7/9/21
“Say What you Will”, James Blake: Single, 7/22/21
“Back to Oz”, Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine: Single, 8/10/21