It’s often said that our dreams provide a window into our subconscious. It’s our mind’s way of peeling back the veil and helping us work through daily stresses, pressing decisions, or those wider questions over the meaning of life. Sometimes these nightly visions are shrouded in abstract mystery, while other times their meaning rings clear as a bell. It’s this universal experience that Washington D.C.-based songwriter Heddy Edwards portrays with her dynamic new single ‘black tunnel’.
Built on a foundation of nostalgia for 90s shoegaze and alternative music, this song is injected with indie-pop melodies and a polished contemporary production. The result is a radio-ready alternative anthem perfect for letting your hair down and cathartically letting those emotions fly free. It opens with layers of hovering synths, strummed strings, and celestial keys, which combines to create that otherworldly atmosphere of REM sleep state. Perfectly enmeshed with this light grungey aura is Edwards‘ poignant vocals that wistfully weave through this vibrant soundscape. Her lyrics, which repurpose some well-known phrases, express the uncanny valley of a dream peppered with familiar faces and names, but warped by our imagination.
The symbolic narrative also has an immensely personal aspect to it. As Edwards herself explains, ‘black tunnel’ is “an abstractly poetic reflection on how my mental health caused me to isolate and lose touch with people, only to see them again in dreams.”
Already engaging, this track reaches new heights at the 2:30 mark when the shoegazey guitars, consistent percussion and powerful vocals takes a climatic turn. It’s here where you can feel the most emotional release and it’s so satisfying to listen to. Clearly, ‘black tunnel’ is an unmissable track for fans of indie music.
You can also listen to ‘black tunnel’ in our Indie Rockers and Shades of Pop playlists.
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