“All Over Town” is a beacon of light and hope in the darkness, guiding the way forward for all those heavy hearts and wary souls. Amanda Bergman’s spellbinding songwriting, so calm yet undeniably charged in its own special ways, is a soothing balm – a musical blanket that feels at once familiar and compassionate, empathetic and understanding.
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Stream: “All Over Town” – Amanda Bergman
Didn’t even know I had to fall so hard…
For several years now, I’ve written about music being a safe haven from the chaos, the noise, and the endless distractions of our terminally online world.
In some respects, the unexpected solitude of 2020 was a real, true respite; there was significantly less tumult and commotion all around us, which perhaps helped make the newer tumult, fear, and uncertainty within a little more bearable. But silence is fleeting and stillness never lasts; we’re four years on now, and if anything, life is busier, rowdier, and louder than ever – but we each find ways to cope, and Amanda Bergman’s music has become one of my trust, tried-and-true go-to’s whenever things get to be a bit too much. Her spellbinding songwriting, so calm yet undeniably charged in its own special ways, is a soothing sonic balm – a musical blanket that feels at once familiar and compassionate, empathetic and understanding. The singer/songwriter’s latest single, “All Over Town,” is a beacon of light and hope in the darkness, guiding the way forward for all those heavy hearts and wary souls.
all of the maypoles died
the greed of the moon ’til white
sin, sin, sin
follow me like a dog
i don’t even fight
and I’m waking now
only the orchid
child, child, child, child,
wants to be all over town,
braver than anyone else in the family
fine, I’ll be first off to die
Released September 6, 2024 CowCow Records, “All Over Town” arrives three months after Amanda Bergman’s sophomore album Your Hands Forever Checking on My Fever took our collective breaths away. The record received critical acclaim upon its release, with Atwood Magazine‘s own Rachel Leong praising it as “an accomplishment in Bergman’s self-discovery as an artist, marked by rich yet understated production, with dynamic instrumentals and Bergman’s affecting vocals coming together to color hues of sands and sunset.” The album features in Atwood Magazine‘s Best Albums of 2024 (So Far), and its opening song “Wild Geese, Wild Love” was listed as one of our Best Songs of 2024 (So Far).
“All Over Town” carries with it the same lush production, smoldering intimacy, and organic touch that makes Your Hands Forever… such a spellbinding success.
Bergman sings hot on the mic, glistening synths and heavy drums gently pulsing all around her as she bares her soul, lamenting on the state of the world and her own attempt(s) to look up when everything seems to be pushing her down.
walking up the railway
don’t know what to do
dye my hair at the shopping mall
waiting for a takedown from the Russians
I don’t even know if I’m in for it all
And yet, “All Over Town” does not dwell in a low space; just as she hits this pit of hopelessness and uncertainty, Bergman’s demeanor shifts, her voice rising for a cathartic, all-consuming, hopeful, and light-filled chorus:
dead strings, i’m up for the sirens
get sick, get off when I want to
didn’t even know I had to fall so hard
For Bergman, this song is as much a consolation as it is a confrontation with those negative thoughts, feelings, and messages that permeate our lives.
“Sometimes one can marvel at how many times you’ve possibly escaped death during the course of a lifetime,” the Swedish singer/songwriter tells Atwood Magazine. “But almost equally fascinating is how many times one can manage to escape from lunacy. It’s so easy to become overwhelmed, especially these days, with so much information and disinformation available.”
“With that, and with the insanely stupid pressure the Western culture brought upon itself, it’s so much easier to become cynical than working your way up to some heartfelt hope. Still, so many people seem to manage to do so, and those are the things that keep me going.”
Red flags on the news
The new generation too
saying saying sick
Follow me like a dog
I don’t even fight it
I’m waking up
The sky isn’t only smoke
child, child, child, child
Wants to be all over town
Braver than anyone else in the family
Fine, I’ll be first off to die
The flowers spread across the street
The wind just turned around
Baby, don’t want to meet you
All over town
As aching and torn up as Bergman may feel inside, she puts out into the world a resounding ray of warm light, tenderness, self-assurance, and hope.
“The flowers spread across the street, the wind just turned around,” she sings in the song’s second (and final) pre-chorus. “Baby, don’t want to meet you all over town.” The tides are moving in a new direction as “All Over Town” approaches its finale; where once all seemed lost and hopeless there now grows seedlings of possibility, of renewal and rebirth, of wonder and awe.
“All Over Town” isn’t a cure-all, but for those seeking solace through song, look no further than Amanda Bergman’s 2024 output. This latest track, together with the record that preceded it mere months ago, has an uncanny way of finding special sparks in the dark, lighting a burning fire deep down inside that will keep us warm when the nights get especially cold.
For as we all know, winter is coming.
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Stream: “All Over Town” – Amanda Bergman
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