Norwegian artist Marianne Engebretsen returns with the track “A Normal After This,” a stirring and beautiful reflection on loss, longing, and the hope of rebuilding. Marking the first glimpse of her forthcoming album, the single captures a pivotal moment of transition, both emotional and physical, as Engebretsen moves from city life to the countryside, finding strength in solitude and change. It plays as a guiding point for major transitions, in general.
“I never imagined that breaking up in adulthood could feel so defining,” Engebretsen says. “I know who I am, but suddenly everything had to be rebuilt in a way. This song feels like a new chapter in my music.”
Lush acoustic strums establish an inviting introduction, quickly bolstered by melodic vocal admissions: “I’m feeling far away, and it is moving to think about the times that we had.” Lyrical expressions of daily yearning — and one’s mind being fixated on it being “another day without you” — resonate, artfully showcasing feelings of dependence with the reckoning of a relationship’s demise. Rousing electric guitars and an uptick in rhythms combine with further gripping vulnerabilities, as Engebretsen’s harmonious vocals let out: “Every inch of me is trying to figure out a way to breathe normal without you.”
The track also features a memorable bridge, where Engebretsen’s declarations to not “waste another minute of our time” resembles a sense of personal catharsis in its embracing of independence. The closing “please tell me that there is a normal after this” beckoning continues to highlight the tumult involved in moving on, while still being determined in its “after this” contextualization — a hope of traversing beyond the storm of a separation. “A Normal After This” is an impactful success from Marianne Engebretsen.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
