Natalie Gates - “Distance Song”
USA-based singer-songwriter Natalie Gates returns to us with the stripped-back offering of “Distance Song,” a track that explores the trials and tribulations of a long distance relationship.
“Distance Song” opens with the remarkably warm strums of an acoustic guitar, paving a delicate path for the song’s intimate subject matter. Listeners do not have to wait long before the arrival of Gates’ vocal performance, delivered here in a raw, emotive cadence– a true delight to have entering your ears.
As the song progresses, more band members arrive, including a vintage-imbued rhythm section, but “Distance Song” never loses its stripped-back and folksy tenacity. Gates stretches into her upper register, warmly reminiscent of boygenius and Lizzy McAlpine, undoubtedly resonating with many music lovers.
Elements are added and removed to display waves of dynamic variation, easily maintaining the attention of all who hear. But a major highlight within “Distance Song” is the resounding bridge, filled with angelic vocal layering and textures of rising ambience until it ultimately returns to the intimacy of a lone acoustic guitar.
We are not typically fans of songs that traverse the topic of romance, but Gates possesses a voice that we find very difficult to resist. And the truth is that “Distance Song” could be in a language that we do not understand and we would still want to share it with all of you.
-HD