Montreal-based duo The Night Owls capture the liberation of shedding others’ burdens on their single “Someone Else’s Shadow.” Blending Simon Arsenault’s progressive rock background with Marianne Bourgeois’ poetic songwriting and vocal work, the track uses meditative string arrangements and “jungle beat” percussion to create a riveting atmosphere, parts folk and parts art-rock.
“Take a risk or take the fall, there’s a chance to rise again,” a haunting multi-layered vocal appears to start, set amidst trickling acoustics and forlorn strings, which emerge after the affecting “it’s not easy to leave the past behind” lyricism. Wordless, expressive vocals then linger like a specter as the acoustics and strings intertwine.
“There’s a misery that some ignore, it’s the silence that echoes when it calls,” the introspective presence continues, depicting personal tumult and the risk of avoiding truths. “You can let go, and all the same,” a cathartic vocal shows as the strings attain a more vibrant, bouncy charm — set aptly within a lyrical push reframing the darkness as “someone else’s shadow” rather than one’s own. “Someone Else’s Shadow” is a gripping success from The Night Owls, melding ghostly folk and string-touched ardor for a wholly memorable sound.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
