Diamond Thug vocalist Chantel Van T has branched out into her solo project. A ghostly, ominous alt-folk track, ‘Petrichor’ is the third single from her upcoming album.
The name for the distinctive smell of rain after it has fallen onto the earth, ‘Petrichor’ is Chantel Van T’s expression of longing for some comfort after a downpour. She recalls that the song was “written after a big storm while recording in Berlin. The lights were dim and the skies were still grey but there was a stillness in the air,” – though the track itself is seeking that same stillness in its unexpected absence.
‘Petrichor’ is an elegantly haunting track, purveying the state of limbo between overwhelm and a missing reassurance not only lyrically, but perfectly too in its instrumentation and composition. The tempo is slow, a thumping bass drum and snare tread the track onward, a clanking tambourine brings to mind the image of Jacob Marley’s ghost, lingering with his chains. The track opens with heavy, purposeful piano chords that almost sound like the deep reverberation of a church bell – not to mention the distorted gospel organ that outros the song, as well as the distant horror-esque tremolo on a violin intermittently throughout.
Chantel’s graceful vocals ride on the moody, spacey track, providing some of the comfort herself that ‘Petrichor’ was searching for – layers of distant, soaring voices build within the song’s two minutes, ending with the line “the smell of the earth after rain”. Whether that comfort was found, or whether it is still being longed for, is left up to interpretation.
In ‘Petrichor’ Chantel Van T has displayed an eerie – but undeniably cool – aura. Fans of Alexandra Savior especially should give this track a listen.
Chantel Van T’s debut album ‘Nicalochan’ is out 23rd October. Find her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Spotify.
The post NEW MUSIC: Chantel Van T – Petrichor appeared first on Turtle Tempo.
