Amelie Patterson releases haunting new single ‘The War’

Hauntingly beautiful, ‘The War’ is the latest single from Western Canadian alt-pop singer-songwriter Amelie Patterson. Focused around an acoustic guitar, the almost four-minute long cut is captivating from start from finish. 

Built on folk foundations, the guitar work is gently picked, before being joined by a booming bass, tribal sounding drums and touches of lead guitar.  

The cut ebbs and flows, with almost naked folk elements such as acoustic guitar and simple vocal quickly being lifted by adjoining instruments, adding a real dramatic depth.

Produced by Will Maclellan (Phoebe Bridgers, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift), this single is deeply intimate, and is an anthem to those who are fighting struggles who may be invisible to others. 

The chorus’ lyrics cry out “Fight the war / hold on darling find your fight //let it be your gravity that pulls you to the light” urging the listener to desperately fight whichever war they may feel internally. The vocal performance is stunning, almost a whisper at some points, but always transparent and driven. The chorus is akin to ‘White Flag’ by Dido, and bares a similar message. 

This is a seriously strong single from an artist who seems to be going places fast.

 Dan Jones

Image: ‘The War' Official Single Cover