A charming outpouring of strong, stirring sentiment released for Mental Wellness Month, Wax Owls’ visceral “Stay Awhile” is a call for connection and togetherness.
Stream: “Stay Awhile” – Wax Owls
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A charming outpouring of strong, stirring sentiment, Wax Owls’ visceral new single is a call for connection and togetherness: An outstretched hand to a friend in need. Anthemic, effervescent, and achingly sweet, the power ballad “Stay Awhile” resonates with a striking human nuance and depth.
Come on and stay awhile beneath the waning light
Come on and stay awhile I’ll be right by your side
Come on and stay awhile and hold it while you can
My friend
Oh won’t you stay awhile till we get home again
Come on and look at all the life, the hoax, the mend
Come on and look at all the frightened hesitance
Come on and peak behind the curtain while I flinch
My friend
Oh won’t you stay awhile and make this home again
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering Wax Owls’ fourth single “Stay Awhile,” the group’s first release of 2021. Released specially for January’s Mental Wellness Month, “Stay Awhile” finds Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Gerry Hirschfeld pouring his heart out into a song of hope and togetherness – connection across a chasm. Following the band’s first three singles “Set It Free,” “Come On,” and “Light Up the Way” (released between September and November 2020), “Stay Awhile” dwells in an anthemic adult contemporary / soft rock space. Jangling acoustics and overdriven electric guitars coalesce around moving vocal harmonies that recall everyone from Keane to U2.
For Hirschfeld, “Stay Awhile captures a desire “to make meaningful connections by exploring the beauty in being vulnerable with someone, forgetting the big picture, and appreciating the millions of tiny details that make up a moment.” We hear him reach a fever pitch of sound and feeling in the song’s vivid chorus:
It goes
Come on repeat the words I’m told
Come on inside
But I can’t afford the lighting she cried
Oh no I can’t afford the lightning and I’ve tried
To see the gold in blue
“Music has always been an important linchpin of our relationship,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “Writing the song over zoom sessions was a great way to maintain a meaningful connection despite the fact that we cannot be in the same physical space. We chose to release this song in January because it is Mental Wellness Month. Due to the pandemic, this January could be particularly difficult since many people are experiencing heightened feelings of isolation. We want to remind others to reach out to loved ones who may be in need of mental health support.”
Gerry wrote and recorded this song was bi-coastally with a long time friend. Beyond a deep bond as friends since childhood, the two toured before pursuing separate projects. Having witnessed how sharing their personal stories related to depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder have encouraged others in their own lives to reach out for support, the song promotes a similar message. “Stay Awhile” addresses the desire to make meaningful connections by exploring the beauty in being vulnerable with someone, forgetting the big picture, and appreciating the millions of tiny details that make up a moment.”
Come on and pacify beneath the dawning night
Come on and pass the time I’ll be right by your side
Come on and stay awhile I’ll hold on while I can
My friend
Oh won’t you stay awhile till we get home again
It goes
Come on repeat the words I’m told
Come on inside
But I can’t afford the lighting she cried
Oh no I can’t afford the lightning and I’ve tried
To see the gold in blue
Wax Owls recently partnered with Sound Mind Live, a non-profit organization that brings together musicians, music lovers, and forward-thinking organizations to build community and open dialogue around mental health. Furthermore, in staying true to the song’s message and mission, all proceeds from “Stay Awhile” will benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, which provides free mental health resources and services to people around the country.
No one deserves to feel alone right now, but sometimes it can feel hard to remember your community when you’re so physically isolated.
A bright beacon of light and love, “Stay Awhile” is a heartwarming reminder that we’ve all got folks who care about us deeply, and who will be there for us in our times of need. Stream Wax Owls’ new single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from this new band as they look to make a mark on 2021.
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Stream: “Stay Awhile” – Wax Owls
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