Luna Keller - “Swallow The Sea”

Photo by Pol Camarero

Germany-based indie folk artist Luna Keller is back on the blog with “Swallow The Sea,” another spellbinding single from her forthcoming sophomore album, Ocean Inside of Me.

This raw and engaging, stripped-back number opens to the gloriously lo-fi tones of an acoustic guitar. Its reverberated strums delicately set a dark and somber mood for yet another emotionally charged performance from Keller. On this occasion, she maintains a magnificently intimate production, with her gentle-spirited voice carefully double-tracked, completely nailing our preferences for the genre.

The second half of the verse is decorated with an irresistible harmony, widening the overall sound and ensuring that all music lovers return for multiple listens. As the hook arrives, Keller glides into her upper register and, even with the sparse arrangement, “Swallow The Sea” becomes as grand as any ocean, cementing our positions as fans as it provides an introspective soundtrack for its listeners.

And if the sound alone could not satiate our folksy thirst, the subject matter deeply resonates with us, exploring the shame that often goes hand in hand as one silently struggles with mental health. Keller made it very clear that the album would get dark before revealing any semblance of redeeming, hopeful light, and while the lyrics pull at the strings of our hearts, we much prefer these melancholic sounds to the more uplifting end of the folk spectrum.

-HD