New Music Friday: Katie Boeck & Caroline Larke
This week in Nashville and beyond has been full of heavy hearts, fueled by an incomprehensible spectrum of emotions. To reduce these feelings to solely that of helplessness or outrage would be a disservice to the nuance of what it means to be human in a world supercharged with chaos, unnecessary violence, and destruction. It may seem frivolous to some but I, personally, am most drawn to music when I need to release whatever feeling is brewing under the surface; especially when it is overwhelming and difficult to identify and move through. I offer New Music Friday to you this week with two new songs that, upon listening, made me feel like I could breathe a little easier—even if only for a moment. I hope they reach you, too, and that we can collectively exhale together…even if just for the duration of a couple songs.
Released today, we open this week’s playlist with Katie Boeck’s ‘Calico’. In her own words, Katie describes ‘Calico’ saying, “This song is about how lonely we can actually feel in such a hyperconnected world – dm’s, texts, stories, no one just picks up the phone anymore – it’s overwhelming. This became my personal anthem of freedom and empowerment when I finally came to the realization that my worth didn’t come from being chosen or seen, but from choosing and seeing myself.” While Boeck wrote this with the intention to self-soothe through feeling isolated in a world that is so hyperconnected, this song also mirrors the feeling of being a singular human with the news of the world at their fingertips, frozen in a state of overwhelm. When we are spiraling, whether due to outside events or our own personal experiences of chaos, we can only move forward when we soothe ourselves into a state of calm first. “Honey, it’s alright, gonna be fine. Take a little time, gonna ease my mind.” No matter the change we seek, to make things better, it starts internally, first. Once we are calm inside, the shift can happen externally.
Taking it to the next level is Caroline Larke’s single, ‘Horses’. “Lord, I know you’re tired of it/ your hands pressed to your ears again”, this single serves as an invitation for respite for the weary spirit in us all. “You’ll never ride alone again”, reminding the subject (and subsequently the listener) that they are not alone, it is okay to take a break, to find solace in each other, and focus on things that bring joy until you’re ready to tread on again.
I hope this week’s songs added some joy and relief to your life this week, I know they did for mine. If you are able, please donate to the families affected by the tragedy at Covenant School.
If you have music you’d like featured on the New Music Friday blog and playlist, submit your music to us in the contact section on our site!
