Southey - “I Know The Way”
From Australia, Southey arrives on our blog with his first single of 2024, “I Know The Way,” a dreamy walk through a vast, folksy landscape.
The vibrant strums of acoustic guitar ignite the wondrous flames of this song’s existence, coated in a fine sheen of reverb that lends a grand sense of ethereal intimacy. Some synthy strings rise in the distance, which provide a wondrous cinematic pad to the production.
Southey’s vocal performance encompasses everything we love about Justin Vernon’s earlier work with Bon Iver, utilizing a glorious layering of octaves to ensure a rich and wide sonic experience. Flourishes of lead guitar are occasionally deployed to fill in the spaces between lines of lyrics and modest percussive elements arrive to provide a gratifying sense momentum.
The hook materializes at the peak of the natural crescendo and we are left to marvel at just how remarkable the sound is, even with such a sparsely populated arrangement. “I Know The Way” incorporates a masterful sense of ebb and flow, brought forth by the addition and subtraction of elements, as well as with the emotionally-charged vocal performance.
After multiple listens, we have found ourselves completely enchanted by “I Know The Way” and we hope that it is merely the first of many tunes that Southey sends our direction. Until then, please join us on this sublime journey through a panoramic soundscape, filled with a topnotch production and introspective lyrics.
-HD