sixten - “Ocean In Me”
From Sweden, sibling duo sixten have just released the soft and dreamy, sweet indie goodness of “Ocean In Me.”
Distant synths draw us in before the soundscape is furnished with delicate vocals atop a canopy of acoustic guitar. The sound is rich and confident and ever so slightly reminiscent of Julien Baker (one of our favorites). At this point, the arrangement remains quite sparse and intimate, ensuring that listeners take a moment to find glimpses of themselves in lyrics that explore the difficulty of letting go.
Ear candy is provided by divine moments of ethereal steel guitar which, as far as we’re concerned, happens to be one of the greatest instruments ever invented. It wails and soars throughout the production, providing a profound depth that we wish more artists would utilize. The pre-chorus brings heavenly vocal harmonies, lending a great deal of emotional width to the track and if you’ve ever read a single page of our blog, you’ll know that a good, male + female duet is one of our greatest weaknesses.
More supporting layers of vocals enter “Ocean In Me” as the drums arrive, ultimately culminating in a head-bobbing rhythm that adds a steady foundation to support the flood of additional sounds. Elements are added and removed over the track’s duration, resulting in an ebb and flow that sounds just as good as any major label release. Although this is the first tune we’ve heard from sixten, we guarantee that it will not be the last time they appear on our blog.
-HD