Dellwood - “It’s Alright”
Minneapolis-based artist and producer Chris Bartels, aka Dellwood, returns to the blog with “It’s Alright,” an atmospheric and folksy beacon of light in a sea of loss and despair.
Atop the ethereally intimate tones of a Rhodes, the remarkably finger-plucked notes from a rubber-bridged acoustic guitar fall across the arrangement like soft drops of rain. The vibe is immediately nostalgic and beckons the listener into a deep, introspective reflection on all of the negative, then seeing it as a sign of growth, instead of emotional defeat.
The star of the show is, of course, Bartel’s hushed, breath-forward vocal delivery, which fills the same niche as artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, Hazlett, and Novo Amor, all of which are blog favorites. His performance has been multi-layered, like a choir of soft-spoken friends who have come to console you in our misery, “acknowledging the mess without trying to soften it.”
About the track, Bartels adds that “This song wasn’t written to fix anything… It was written to sit with someone in the hardest stretch of their life — to say, this is brutal, and you’re not wrong for feeling it. But you’re still here. You still matter. There’s still something ahead of you.”
“It’s Alright” is a two-minute-and-fifty-second escape from the current state of the world, and it belongs in those playlists you’ve set aside for nights when it kills you to be alone with your thoughts. The track is now available everywhere and if we were doctors, we would prescribe it to you. Connect with Dellwood here: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook