Remember our conversation with Sabrina Song in this week’s 9th floor where your Tonemamas heard all about Berlin and the exquisite music scene there? Well, from that conversation some travel bugs were released into the air and…we decided we needed to take a one-night break from New York City. And what better place to visit than our sister city in all things music and entertainment, Miss London, calling us from across the Atlantic? Boy, are we glad that we travelled to this city (fictionally, but it still counts) because there we found VOID and now – this is our travel memento to you.
Formed in 2016, VOID is an upcoming ‘faceless’ duo based in London – their anonymity emphasizes their disinterest with personal fame and allows them to focus purely on what they have to offer as artists – truly great songs, one of which is “iHurt”. A word of warning, Tonemillers – this is a heavy one. There’s nothing comfortable or pleasant about this song, and it gives you no time to prepare yourself; from the opening moments, we as listeners are plunged into the depths of melodious sadness. This is also immensely refreshing as there is no apologizing – it is simply a statement on hurt.
What stood out about this track is the ambiguity of the lyrics – it is hard to understand what they are singing, but that seems to be the point. It’s not about the words, it’s about the feeling the song inspires and that feeling is totally overwhelming from start to finish. The emotive and moving vocals, warm textures created by layered electric guitars and pads create a wordless dimension that allow the listener to gently descend onto a pillow stuffed with feelings instead of feathers. VOID is offering us something rare: total and utter vulnerability.
Your Tonemamas couldn’t help noticing the word play in the title, “iHurt”. Instead of making it a personal statement “I hurt”, the title has been compounded into what reads like an Apple product, presenting the hurt as less human, more robotic. It led us to think about the inhumanity of depression, how it strips a person from all feelings and connection to the world until you’re rendered…inhuman.
Best listened to: When you’re ready (we stand by this strongly)…and when you’re ready, lay your body down somewhere comfortable and allow the music to swirl around you in a darkened room.
Listen for this moment: 2:52 the unexpected magic of the background harmonies that deepen the warm and haunting texture even more.