Rising and falling in melancholic waves, I Am Snow Angel’s heavy-hearted “You Were Mine” wrestles with saying the one goodbye you never thought you’d say.
— —
Goodbye can be one of the hardest words to say in the English language. The idea of an ending is tough enough; sealing it up with a verbal cue just makes the end that much more final, as can be felt on I Am Snow Angel’s heavy-hearted new single. Rising and falling in melancholic waves, “You Were Mine” comes to terms with saying the one goodbye you never thought you’d have to say.
A cold winter ends the war
Our dream is over
I won’t lie to you
Ice cold forest floor
Our passage is closing
I’m losing sight of you
Listen: “You Were Mine” – I Am Snow Angel
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/359675657?secret_token=s-NUouu” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “You Were Mine,” the lead single off I Am Snow Angel’s forthcoming concept album, MOTHERSHIP. The musical identity for New York-based artist, producer, and sound designer Julie Kathryn, I Am Snow Angel emerged in early 2014 and has since delivered a slew of evocative, transformational electronic pop music. The artist’s sophomore album, MOTHERSHIP was “written, recorded, and produced in wintry isolation in a cabin deep in the woods of Lake Placid.” It’s a record that dwells in darkness, and “You Were Mine” is just the beginning – a first look – at what’s to come for the unrelenting indie act.
I’m not determined like before
This world has grown colder
I can’t fight for you
I won’t see you anymore
I’m no longer a soldier
Braving the night with you
A cold beat breathes shivering life into “You Were Mine” as the song begins abruptly, jolting us into the here and now with surprising force. I Am Snow Angel weaves a brilliant metaphor around bittersweet separation, seeking closure for a love that has been lost on both sides:
Maybe it’s enough to know
I knew you in another lifetime
Maybe it’s enough to know
You were mine
“Maybe it’s enough to know I knew you in another lifetime.” This heartbreaking surrender of the soul cuts deep as the artist engulfs us in warm oohs, a blanket of harmony just thick enough to shield us from the icy cold of lost love. “You Were Mine” seems to be the musical equivalent of a desensitized person regaining their senses – the un-numbing process, a coming-to of unbearable, yet necessary emotional weight.
“This song materialized very quickly while I was isolated in a cabin in the Adirondacks working on my new album MOTHERSHIP,” I Am Snow Angel explains. “I started with a drum track, guitar riff, and keys, and then played the staccato string part. I built the rest of the instrumental track around these sounds, simultaneously writing the lyrics and melody. I imagined waking up in a cold winter forest in a new world, tired of fighting a battle I knew I couldn’t win, ready to let it go.”
It’s the deepest shifts in our world that rock us the most. Whatever battle ended in this song, it’s sure to be one whose scars stay with the artist – whether in song through MOTHERSHIP, or through her own person. “You Were Mine” haunts with the sober awakening that ends do exist – that not all things, love or otherwise, last forever. Whether we’re mourning a relationship or loved one, we can all certainly connect with the chilling weight of I Am Snow Angel’s latest release. Stream “You Were Mine” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, ahead of its independent release this Friday, 6/22/2018!
— — — —
Connect to I Am Snow Angel on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © Shervin Lainez art by Sarah Cobb
