Standing on the precipice of change, De Joie’s radiant “All Around Me” captures the mystique of the unknown.
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New beginnings incorporate as much fear and uncertainty as they do hope and elation – meaning when the unknown lies on the horizon, we find ourselves finely balanced between conflicting emotions. Standing on the precipice of change, De Joie’s radiant “All Around Me” captures the intimidating, exciting mystique of the unknown.
I remember you
You broke the dark as you passed through
I could see you move
And fade away as I came to
I still wait for you
But not the way you want me to
In the dark of the night
Will you stay by my side?
Could I open my eyes
And find you?
Listen: “All Around Me” – De Joie
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/385131128?secret_token=s-BXlk8″ 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 “All Around Me,” the new single from De Joie. An invigorating outpouring of warm electro-folk sound, “All Around Me” is the perfect reintroduction to De Joie, the artistic moniker for Florida-born, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Kaley Rutledge. Echoing the ‘folktronic’ undulations of Atwood favorite Gordi (who worked with Bon Iver on her 2017 debut), De Joie melts intimate songwriting into a dazzling atmospheric blend of piano, synths, samples and vocals.
De Joie’s first single since releasing her debut EP August in September 2017, “All Around Me” proves a stunning return. The track finds her working once again with Jeremiah Dunlap, half of acclaimed Nashville film team The Dunlap Brothers, and a rising artist in his own right through ambient music project SVVN, whose video premiered on Atwood Magazine last year. “Collaborating with Jeremiah Dunlap, my producer and co-writer, was perhaps the best decision I made in creating the first De Joie EP. I knew after releasing that project that I wanted to continue to collaborate with him again,” Kaley Rutledge tells Atwood Magazine.
Unlike so many of the ambient, atmospheric projects we’ve reviewed in the past, “All Around Me” rises out of an ethereal light, rather than darkness. The songs overflows with a radiant glow that pulses with hope, while Rutledge lyrically evokes her struggle to fully embrace the positive side of change and possibility:
The light is breaking free
I can feel these golden waves
Crashing all around me
And I am breaking free
I can see these golden skies
Wrapping all around me
She wants hope to conquer her fear. While she can’t fully let go of the latter, she certainly feels inclined to embrace the light.
Thin line in a dark room
Slow burn as it pulls through
Wake up when it finds you
Over and over and over again
Rutledge explains how her new song came to being through inspiration from light itself. “Shortly after the EP release last year, I was visiting home in Florida when Jeremiah sent me the instrumental track for what eventually became “All Around Me.” I found some headphones and headed out early to the beach one morning to listen to the song. The morning light and beauty of the sea started speaking to me, and the lyrics to the chorus came fairly easily. I headed back to Nashville, and we finished writing the recording the track in the studio. The track is meant to convey the tension of light and darkness, hope and hopelessness – we wanted to evoke these themes both lyrically and in the production of the song.”
“All Around Me” certainly balances opposing forces, but it’s hard to not be swayed by its effervescent shine: The song’s soundscape fills with passion for whatever’s to come, indulging in opportunity brought on by another day. We may not know the future. We may even fear it, but how can one deny the beauty of a fresh start?
I can feel these golden waves
Crashing all around me
And I am breaking free
I can see these golden skies
Wrapping all around me
Buoyant and bright, “All Around Me” ultimately succeeds in letting the light break free. Stream De Joie’s beautiful new single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and connect with Kaley Rutledge’s project through the social media below!
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? © David O’Donohue
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