Marston and Baldi have composed a song that’s a bit more grounded from the place of doubt. There’s no frantic urgency in ‘Hope In The Darkness’ to say what it has to say. It takes its time and allows the feeling to build up one line at a time, and lets it come naturally.
It’s a collaboration between two musicians, an Italian and an American, Marston and Baldi. They had a long-standing creative collaboration, and they met years ago in Rome. They have such distinct experiences, but the song has a real caring in it, decades of playing and writing together in various forms. The song starts with an acoustic guitar, establishing a contemplative tone. It has a warm and familiar quality to it; it’s as though you’re recalling something that you already know rather than discovering it for the first time. It slowly creeps in, without much fanfare or trying to catch your eye.
The vocals are open and honest. The feeling is felt, but never over-emphasised. Rather, the words are left to their own devices and to tell their own story. This creates a sense that the song is being sung in a unique way, without the audience being noticed, rather than being sung for the audience. The chorus begins to expand the song a bit. Additional voices are added to the baseline vocal line, adding to the sense of fullness and optimism. It maintains the intimacy of the verses while at the same time adding the sense of distance. The song doesn’t seem to be trying to shout anymore, it seems to be looking up.
The chorus expands out later, allowing the song to breathe. That extra space allows the music to expand to a larger size, but doesn’t remove the personal from the start. The song remains grounded while opening and becoming a little fuller. At the end of “Hope In The Darkness” you will be lighter than at the beginning. The song is built on patience and common history, by Marston and Baldi. This consistent feeling of trust permeates the entire piece and is not lost until the last beat.
Artwork: “The Sound from the Opposite Shore” 対岸の音 (4S), 2023 by 卯野 和宏 (Uno Kazuhiro)
Follow their music journey:
Discover our playlist :