We had just heard a friend share a meaningful and heartfelt dream where their beloved late dog was on the other side of a black hole. If you’ve ever been to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, you’ll know that at the beginning of the steep trail is a very large opening that bats fly out of in a dark blast each evening at dusk. It’s that Natural Entrance I ventured into on my way deep into the cavern, a 2 km hike equivalent to about 79 stories to the Big Room, a vast and open other-world underneath us. It very much feels like a black hole you’re willingly falling into. And Darts is meant to depict that journey, except inward to my own black hole, a connected hush to my ego and an invitation to discover a love for my child self, which is to love my most vulnerable self. We decided to write a song during our hike, reigning in inspo from the “information plaques” that were scattered along the trail at the Park. This song feels like an affectionate, cyclical bloom, and it’s one of the tracks I’m most proud to release. I feel like Darts gets more nuanced the more I listen, and it always reminds me that I, like nature, am to be feared, but that I am also meant to be loved. A line that sticks out is, “hand on my chest, you’re all I have. I can’t imagine when that will be enough”. While much of the rest of the record is about making peace with everything going on around me, this song is about finding peace and power within. The beating piano takes its time as it paints a lush landscape. Meagan Grandall’s textured, layered harmonies thrive off of the spaciousness before and after the sonic uprise, one of my favorite moments on the record. My friend Abby Gundersen composed and performed some of the most brilliant string arrangements that I’ve heard from her. - Alie
Thanks for listening!
- Alie & Jake