Amidst the heaviest heartbreak, a detached poignancy can grow. Briana Marela’s spellbinding “Uncertainty and the Unknown” was written a week after discovering her father’s death. The lyrics are vulnerable, raw to the point of stillness. “Your heart couldn’t hold all the love you built,” she sings, her voice hanging on by the thinnest, most fragile thread. “I want to live my life for you, but I don’t know how to.” These moving, heart-wrenching words bound forward steadfast as Marela faces the brutal uncertainty staring her in the face.
The open gravity of Marela’s lyrics on “Uncertainty and the Unknown” are buoyed by the sonic qualities of the song. Playful arrangements imbued with wistful disquietude and scattered electronic deviations are a counterbalance to the emotional weight carried in each syllable. It’s such a delicate needle to thread. Still, Marela’s openness invites us into this sacred space where boundless love and unimaginable pain collide, creating a complex supernova of reflective sentiment and spirit.
The video for “Uncertainty and the Unknown” features family videos mainly shot by Marela’s uncle, Dave Erickson. “Mostly filmed by my Uncle Dave, who passed away in 2010, who was like a second father to me,” she explains, continuing, “I am comforted by his watchful eye and presence [through his] filming these videos, and these memories of me with my dad and my family.” It is a perfect complement to this incredible song, and, together, I cannot imagine a more beautiful, honest tribute.
“Uncertainty and the Unknown” appear on Briana Marela’s forthcoming album, You Are a Wave, coming September 9 on digital and cassette. Pre-order it HERE.
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