Somehow we’ve reached the end of another year and what a year it has been for new music! However, fear not, there’s always time to sneak another sonic gem onto our ever-scanning radar before the close of 2025. That special honour goes to the Athens, Georgia-based artist Ryne Meadow who recently released a song of quiet yet powerful reckoning by the name of ‘Eden’. Drawing on an upbringing in American South and its country scene in contrast to his LGBTQ+ identity and alternative style, Meadow deftly critiques the so-called paradise that the USA pretends to be.
‘Eden’ is proof that adversity often gives way to creativity; it’s an essential outlet for anyone who has experienced being an outsider, oppression or mental health issues. For Meadow, these things came into sharp focus when he moved back from New York to his hometown. As such, songwriting has become a way to navigate the experience of existing in a community of rising Christian nationalism. Throughout the song, Meadow reclaims the idea of a perfect paradise as something to be found within; it’s through tenderness and defiance that one can return to the self.
There’s a real sense of personal presence throughout ‘Eden’, which gradually unfolds from an opening of isolated beats and floating vocals, with atmospheric guitar lines and ethereal synths slowly coming to the surface. As the track progresses, Meadow‘s confidence builds until the song bursts into a full-blown soundscape that fully embraces bedroom-pop, indie-folk, synth-pop and alt-pop extravagance. There’s something prayer-like about ‘Eden’, with a production that evokes a devotional atmosphere and a vocal performance that’s a considered meditation.
As the first official release from Ryne Meadow‘s forthcoming album Baptisms, ‘Eden’ arrives steeped in reflection, grace and hard-won clarity.
You can also listen to ‘Eden’ in our Shades of Pop playlist.
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