Marissa Burwell - “Coward”
Saskatchewan-based Marissa Burwell has just released the beautifully poignant and melancholic “Coward.” Filled with introspection and vulnerability, it is impossible not to get lost in this great track.
The song’s guitar work forms the backbone to the arrangement. The rhythm guitar has a great, unpolished, gritty and moody quality. The addition of muted guitar panned to the other side interplays nicely with these tones, creating a satisfying movement and over the top lead guitar enhances the melancholic vibe with gentle, low riffs.
“Coward” is padded by ethereal synth tones, which contrast brilliantly with the gritty guitars. This allows the melancholic production to have the underlying feeling that there is hope that things will change for the better. This is enhanced further, later in the song, with bright acoustic rhythm layers and the soaring but moody slide guitar solo.
The songs drum’s and bass only serve to enhance the mood, taking a stripped-back approach allowing each synth and guitar texture to shine. This leaves plenty of room for Burwell’s gentle and tender vocal performance, which is the star of the show. She brilliantly captures the depth of emotion in the song by radiating sincerity and vulnerability. The performance is enhanced with great attention to detail and reversed reverb effects.
The artist describes how “Coward” was born from a moment of honesty and introspection: “This song began being written mid tearful phone conversation when I realized that I wasn’t being honest with myself. At the time it was just a statement written down but resulted in deep reflection, looking at where my desire to play something safe originated, where it came from to not trust what my body and mind were telling me.”
“Coward” is a hauntingly beautiful song filled with well-chosen textures. The vocal performance really enhances the honest and vulnerable mood of the track. This is the lead single from her forthcoming EP, which will be out September 8th.