Celestine Manno - “If You Were Around”
Photo by Tess Mayer
From Crested Butte, Colorado, indie artist Celestine Manno has just released “If You Were Around,” a beautifully crafted slice of indie folk from her forthcoming EP, How Time Passes Here.
This is the kind of tune that can split you right open, especially if you were unfortunate enough to lose a parent at a young age. Written twenty years after her mother’s death, “If You Were Around” digs extremely deep into Manno’s identity, developing a mental image of her mom through stories and old photographs. This subject matter is unique, and one that we’ve never before covered on the blog, but believe us when we tell you that it is wonderfully packaged in an enchantingly raw folk song.
Briefly setting the motif of loss aside, “If You Were Around” gets started with a couple hits on the snare drum before giving way to a robust, vintage-hued rhythm section, with a steady, yet melancholic beat and some thick bass to set a superb foundation. Atop of some foley that sounds like an old family video, some ringing tones from the keys carve a path for Manno’s vocal performance, which relies more on an authentic sense of melodic storytelling than modern pop acrobatics.
On the refrains, Manno has doubled her vocal track, with delightful glimpses of reverberating guitars rising to the surface of the arrangement. In less than three minutes, she’s managed to pack a lifetime of wondering, complete with vivid glimpses of California and profound emotional vulnerability – and it works so well that we hope you’ll join us in eagerly awaiting her new EP, How Time Passes Here, due for release on March 20.
“If You Were Around” is now available wherever you get your music. Connect with Celestine Manno here: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | Facebook
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