Biloba - “Roots (ft. Reske)”
Los Angeles-based Biloba (DJ Stanfill) returns to us with the new single, “Roots,” a song about urban burnout mixed with a touch of quiet, existential drift.
“Roots” is a modern, piano-driven ballad in the vein of Ethan Gruska and Blake Mills– imagine if Justin Vernon had been armed with a Steinway instead of a resonator when crafting For Emma, Forever Ago and that will get you half way there. Pressing the play button, the listener is immersed in an arrangement lined with layers of strings and digital artifacts, all while maintaining the raw, intimate vibe of indie folk music.
Where Biloba’s “Roots” truly shines is in the vocal department, as each line of lyrics is delivered in textures– it could be double-tracked or it could be an effect, but, in any case, there is something extremely vulnerable in the way we’re hit with standout lyrics like: “even my mirror looks past me.” For those of us who have struggled with a disconnection from ourselves, not just from others, the song resonates quite deeply, all while maintaining the theme of being stuck in a life we didn't fully choose.
On the bridge, artist and producer Reske arrives with a dynamic break centered on a glorious falsetto– his first ever vocal feature. It is this very section that cements the bridge between “Roots” and the aforementioned For Emma… This is an intentionally alienated ballad that forces listeners to examine the compromise of financial stability instead of something more meaningful.