Matt Sayers - “Aurora”

Attention: lovers of dreamy, cinematic folk music, please carve out about five minutes of your busy lives in order to fill your ears with “Aurora,” the latest single from Birmingham-based singer-songwriter Matt Sayers.

“Aurora“ utilizes one of our favorite formulas, opening to the soft and delicate strums of an acoustic guitar, with Sayers’ remarkably authentic vocal notching its way through the sparseness of the arrangement. There’s an honesty imbued into his performance that immediately makes you believe every word of it.

The refrain consists of a hopeful solicitation: “Leave the light on,” which will likely mean different things for each listener, but it arrived in our stack of submissions just as we found ourselves amidst the weight of existence, sifting through the dark in order to find some footing in this world.

The track slowly crescendos, picking up some remarkable friends along the way, such as a drum kit and bass, which add a wondrous sense of weight to the production. It is at this point that some otherworldly vocal layers start to soar in the distance, answering the ethereal, melodic call of a lead guitar.

On the final third, “Aurora” reaches its crest, incorporating more of a driving rhythm and additional layers of guitar. The resulting sound is something that can only be described as complete and total sonic satisfaction. For the finishing touch, Sayers peels away all of the layers, leaving the listener with a lone guitar and reverberating backing vocals.

“Aurora” is a fantastic embodiment of sound that will get you excited to hear all of Matt Sayers’ future releases. Rest assured that he will end up on our blog again, but, in the meantime, join us in spinning this glorious tune.

-HD