Bellman Shines a Light on the Darker Side of Life in “Let Somebody In (369)”

Bellman © Line Loholt
Bellman © Line Loholt
Bittersweet and revealing, Bellman’s “Let Somebody In (369)” is a stirringly poignant portrait of anxiety and depression – but there is a light waiting to be found, even in our darkest moments.
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Stream: “Let Somebody In (369)” – Bellman




Bittersweet and revealing, Bellman’s first single of 2021 is a stirringly poignant portrait of anxiety and depression – but there is a light waiting to be found, even in our darkest moments. A poignant moment of solitude and reflection doused in ethereal, intimate sonics, “Let Somebody In (369)” is as much a reckoning of personal pain as it is a reminder to reach out – that we do not have to go through life’s upheavals alone.

Let Somebody In (369) - Bellman
Let Somebody In (369) – Bellman
I saw your face behind the wall
Don’t reveal your plan
They’ll never understand
Make a pillow of the snow
Don’t you let them know
Don’t you let them know
Peel your spiral-dreams away
Judge me by my cover
Judge me when I pray
Tell your friends that you’ll be fine
‘Cause I do it all the time
I do it all the time

Released April 30, 2021 via his own label AJR Music, “Let Somebody In (369)” arrives this spring as Bellman’s beacon of hope and healing, solace and stillness. The artist moniker for Larvik, Norway-born Arne-Johan Rauan, Bellman is perhaps best known for 2009 debut album Mainly Mute, which contained the breakout single “Spaceship, Move Slow!”

Over a decade later, the singer/songwriter continues to spellbind with vulnerable lyrics and visceral imagery set to a moving, palpably emotive soundtrack. “Let Somebody In (369)” is Bellman’s first offering in over three years, since releasing 2018’s fourth album Morphology. Compared to the dynamic electronics that gave the album its undeniable drive, “Let Somebody In (369)” feels like a study of stasis: Of taking the most out of a single event, rather than building through change or transformation. Slowly, steadily, Bellman crafts a lush multi-textured environment into which he injects hauntingly aching emotion.

Bellman © Line Loholt
Bellman © Line Loholt



The chorus captures a world of hurt as the artist pieces apart his depression, unapologetically diving into what he calls the “darker side of life”:

Let somebody in
It’s time to come home
What took you so long?
What took you so long?
Wherever you’re from
I made you this song
What took you so long?
What took you so long?
Don’t you fail me now
I’ll be just fine
Three six and nine

“This song deals with my recent struggle with anxiety and depression, which was thrown on me one day like a fucking brick wall, with no warning,” Bellman tells Atwood Magazine. “I try to communicate to all that have experienced the darker side of life, and to say; YOU ARE ENOUGH. I also sing about hope and the importance of asking for help. If I can just reach one person with this song, it’s all worth it.”

Being alive does mean you will experience pain, but you never have to go through it alone – and though it may have been inspired by (and relentless dwells in) pools of anxiety and depression, “Let Somebody In (369)” ultimately shines with a brighter light of hope and healing.

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Stream: “Let Somebody In (369)” – Bellman



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Let Somebody In (369) - Bellman

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