Premiere: burwell Explores What’s Left Unsaid In New Song & Video, “out of place”
In a world where people are taking back their agency and proudly brandishing their own identity, there are still things left unsaid. Truths unspoken to our friends. Realities hidden from the world around us. And even simple emotions kept from our beloved family. It’s this last thought that’s explored admirably in “out of place,” a new song out today by musician burwell that shines a demure light on the complicated beauty of words unspoken and pain unbarred, all of which is explored more in the accompanying music video which The Auricular is proud to premiere at the bottom of this article.
Tender yet resolute, “out of place” recounts holding back on real conservations with a loved one (“The ice begins to melt away / With every sound I don’t make”) and instead reverting to mindless small talk to pass the time (“Softly, I tread / Overwhelmed by all these empty phrases / Filling my head”). The music gracefully compliments the situation with a guitar line that’s sweet and poised, but with clear hesitance in its strum, alluding sonically to those words left unsaid. Sounds of string instruments ripple in the background as well, sometimes rushing to the surface as heard before the start of the second verse, almost as if pointing to the moment of truth finally being released, ultimately washing away as the nerve is broken and the moment is lost again.
The video puts this fractured feeling front and center with videos of a daughter and father moments entwined with shots of cracked mirrors and tortured emotion. Filmed by Simple Creatives, each shot builds upon the lyrical reticence with longing and anguish, feelings often swirling below when we choose not to say what’s truly on our minds.
“out of place” comes from the unreleased EP Lost Together that burwell worked on as a member of The Tide Rose alongside Kelian Creech. Written back in 2016 with Creech, the song is being released today as part of burwell’s “new songs from the past” series which plans to keep tackling songs and music from years past that haven’t been officially released yet. These songs aren’t the only music coming from burwell though as she has also released some surprising covers in 2020, such as a version of Relient K’s 2004 single “Be My Escape” which she recorded alongside Corey Pavlosky, a musician she also once performed alongside as part of The Cheap Royals. While The Cheap Royals’ sound was rooted in electro-pop, “out of place” finds burwell back in the folk sounds of The Tide Rose, a sonic landscape in which burwell’s lissome musical talent fully blossoms as emotion can be felt on every sound and word, yielding songs and melodies that can both warm and soothe your soul.
Out today, you can watch the affecting video for “out of place” below, and you can stream the song on Spotify, iTunes, and other platforms by clicking the link here.
