Serene synths and reassuring vocal warmness leads “Wayward,” a recent single from HORACE, the project of Montreal-based singer/songwriter and producer Gabriel Horace Davis.
Peppier verses and backing reflective vocals conjure a sound initially reminiscent of Jens Lekman’s more bustling numbers, with the journeying into dreamy synths and ghostly vocals — “I’ll pick you up,” — sending chills. “That moment you broke your heart,” they continue during a magnetic bridge, exuding a sophisti-pop nostalgia alongside the textured synths and wordless backing vocal touches.
“Wayward” is a gorgeous showing from HORACE, who describes the track as “about the cathartic growth of overcoming disassociation and alienation, from the lens of a person lost within in their own psyche.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of December 2023’ Spotify playlist.