The eerie, empty streets of New York reinforce the prayer-like quality of this delicate new single from David Berkeley. The powerful fan-made video was created by Ehud Lazin, using iPhone photographs taken during the pandemic. The song is taken from Berkeley’s brand new album, ‘Oh Quiet World’, which will be released on 27th July.
Berkeley says of the project: “My family and I were living in Madrid for the year when Corona swept through Spain. We got out on one of the last flights back to America when it became clear that our children weren’t going to be able to leave our apartment if we stayed. I set up a makeshift studio in the attic of the house we quarantined in near the Rhode Island coast with the bits of recording gear I was able to carry with me and an old Spanish guitar I bought second-hand in Madrid. In a sense, the album plays like a prayer, beginning with the call to ‘get up in the early light’ and ending with the word, ‘amen’. I hope that it may provide some comfort to those who hear it.
This time for me has been about what is essential in our lives, what remains after so much on the surface of our lives get erased or put on hold. I think these songs capture that essence, without studio tricks or polish. The recordings are mostly just me, with the help of my wife and children who sing on two of the songs, and some subtle textures that friends across the country sent me from their home studios.”
In recent months, so much of our lives have been stripped away and Berkeley’s latest release is similarly stripped back. Intimate and deeply reflective, Berkeley aims to shine a light during our darkest moments, illuminating the aspects of life that are truly important. This is poetic song-writing, drawing inspiration from current global events and universal concerns to fashion something personal. Well-worth checking out. Find hope here.
