Today's Song: Digging Ourselves Out of Darkness with POESY's "Diamonds"

Toronto-based artist POESY makes a heavenly return with rousing pop-rock anthems “Diamonds.”

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Stream: “Diamonds” – POESY

Since being discovered on the first season of hit Canadian music competition show “The Launch”, POESY, otherwise known as Sarah Botelho, has fast gained a reputation for her gorgeous vocal performances and subtly dark pop-rock anthems. Her debut single “Soldier of Love” was released in 2018 and raced up Canada’s music charts landing it in the Billboard Top 40, an incredible achievement for a first release. Maintaining this momentum, her next release, a four-track long EP entitled Glass Box Confessional would witness her truly coming into her own as an artist both visually and sonically. Her latest single “Diamonds” is the next step in this artistic evolution. An impeccably emotive and poignant track that has grown out of POESY’s fascination with the concept of time and its fundamentally fleeting nature.

Heavily influenced by nineties alternative rock, particularly female vocalist’s PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, and Alanis Morissette combined with an updated lean into the assured etherealness of artists such as Florence Welch and Lorde, POESY’s style is stirring and highly emotive. Indeed, “Diamonds” is a track that impresses with its pulsating beat, dark electronic synths and strong yet sensitive vocals. With a subtle opening that relies heavily on percussive and vocal elements, as “Diamonds” builds to a climax it bursts into action in wild, howling choruses. In a nod to more ethereal influences, classical harp is used during transition points throughout the track giving it a sense of mystery whilst off-kilter drum beats and delicate vocal harmonies combine to provide an overall sense of poignancy.

Lyrically “Diamonds” intends to explore the feeling of wrenching oneself out of a period of melancholia and darkness and back towards a more positive place. During a global pandemic and looking towards 2021, for many of us this is likely to be a familiar feeling and one that is certainly relatable. Although the lyrics are at times broad and don’t necessarily drill down into the specificities of this feeling.

POESY ©

In her own words, POESY explains that “Diamonds is at its core, a song about experiencing a dark time and trying to drag yourself through to the other side. It’s about the pressure you put on yourself that leaves you with dark inner turmoil. I’ve dragged myself out of that countless times so I hope Diamonds can do that for someone else. I called it Diamonds because they’re a substance that is made under huge amounts of pressure, but they’re also so valuable – just like we are. So be gentle with yourself…” Indeed, it seems that the raw, untamed quality of her sound holds more significance perhaps in conveying the emotion of the track than the lyrics themselves.

Nevertheless, “Diamonds” is the perfect showcase for POESY, a glorious pop-rock ballad with tinges of sadness juxtaposed against the overwhelming necessity for positivity. It is a track that wreaks of catharsis and delivers for those moments when you just need to let loose and break free from the bonds you have created yourself.