The fantastic “Release Me” is a stirring track from Bayleigh Cheek. The Dallas-based singer/songwriter was a solo musician from 2015 to 2018, at which point the project turned into a band. “Release Me” is a very strong introduction, with suavely smoky vocals captivating from the get-go. A buzzing backing synth pairs with the vocals to start, with guitars and keys assembling a smooth melodic fixation thereafter as the one-minute mark approaches. The brisker rhythm section and key adornments join with smoothly melodic vocals, leading into the beautiful title-referencing vocal hook at 01:20, adorned with effervescent synths. The track reminds me of Weyes Blood’s bouncier tracks, like “Everyday.”
“Release Me” comes from Bayleigh Cheek’s upcoming EP, Immortals, out on March 6th. The track was recorded last May, and represents the band’s first release. Per the band, the Immortals EP “centers around the theme of finding truth, of not only about yourself but in life and how once you know the truth, that in itself becomes ‘immortal.'”
The band elaborates on the track’s themes and background below:
“This song is about what it means to realize you’ve believed a lie or false identity of yourself and the process of becoming free from it and knowing the truth. The music and composition of the piece, portray that experience. It seems to be one thing on the outside, fun and cheerful, but something else and deeper on the inside, which is portrayed through the instrumental bridge. You get a glimpse of it before it bounces back to what you already know and have experience through the first part of the song. Then the whole energy changes in the outro, as if we are pushing through and seeing the other side of it, following along with the lyrics “and we’ve all been given truth, just to carry it on.”
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“Release Me” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of January 2020’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Indie Rock.
