11 December 2024 - 0 Comments
A stunning track from Tamaki Makaurau-based indie singer-songwriter Greta van den Brink, Swimming On A Spoon hits all the feels with its tender, melancholic vibe and hauntingly beautiful melody.
Despite the hefty lyrical content, Swimming On A Spoon is musically delicate, an evocative track that dives deep into the struggle and emotional weight of addiction. Sonically it holds influences from artists such as Billie Eilish, early Maggie Rogers, and the storytelling of Lana Del Rey.
A collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and Producer Ethan Jupe has resulted in an arresting, heart-breaker of a song. Fearlessly exposing her sensitivity with her realist song-writing, Greta’s pure vocal and dark lyrics paired with the stripped-down melody reveals her crushing talent for vulnerable story-telling.
With her smooth, organic sound and Ethan’s gentle, subtle instrumentation, the pair have created a piece that is simultaneously cinematic and deeply vulnerable. As the Dutch-Kiwi singer-songwriter puts it: “It’s a song for the nights you miss them so much, you feel like you’re drowning.”
A sad, sombre song, Greta expresses deep sentiment as she sings: “…Death can give me a final kiss, I’ve never been loved like this…Swimming on, swimming on, swimming on a spoon…Sinking into your used cocoon…Hope you won’t, hope you won’t leave me too soon…I’ll move over and make some room…”
The listener gets a visceral sense of profound despair and pain through vivid imagery of isolation and heartbreak as the track details a raw, reflective journey of a person at a telephone booth desperately trying to reach the person they need the most.
Greta explains: “The title of the song is explicit and symbolises how sometimes these dark places feel like swimming in circles. The pattern is stuck, the same mistakes are made, and the fear of being unable to escape is overwhelming. In these times, we go for our familiar crutches and the cycle continues.”
A dynamic and versatile talent, Greta is also an actress and stunt performer and now as she turns her hand to playing guitar and writing songs, Swimming On A Spoon is the second single from this emerging singer. It follows her debut single Road To Hell released last month and featured in the soundtrack for the Australian Netflix series Territory, in which Greta makes her acting debut. Keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground to catch more from this unique and inspiring young artist.
Photo Credit: Julia Nalles
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