Alternating grippingly between quaint folk and emotive expanses, “Need Some Life” is a thorough success from Strawrest. The project comes via Norwegian musician Terje Halmrast, formerly of the band Monalia. Pulsing acoustic pulses and prancing keys complement a wordless vocal immersion to start. A delicate folk arsenal unveils thereafter, as vocals beckon “need some life,” and “need someone,” with compelling yearning. Spacey synths arrive as dazed vocals send chills. Mingling acoustic twangs and twinkling piano converge into a stirringly wordless envelopment around mid-point, achieving a textured and emotive pull.
The track tactfully explores the fragility of life, a topic inspired by the tragic passing of Monalia’s dummer. “He was a joy to be around, always full of good humor and positivity,” Halmrast says. “In hindsight, I believe those qualities were a major factor in him staying alive during the last few years when the breaks between all his hospital stays grew shorter and shorter.”
He continues:
“The idea of living each day and not taking life for granted can easily become just a nice life philosophy, but not much more. But when you experience a close friend passing away, even the most well-known and worn-out quotes suddenly take on a whole new depth and seriousness. If there was one thing Vegar was filled with, despite all his battles with serious health issues, it was life. He always looked ahead, daring to dream and think big about both his own future and everything we were going to achieve together in Monalia.”
—
This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
