doppelfinger – “footsteps”
Photo by Ciara McMullan
doppelfinger, from Austria, strips folk music down to its bare bones with the inviting indie folk track “footsteps.”
“footsteps” is a quietly captivating pastoral indie folk song that fosters a splendid, restful atmosphere. Recorded live, it’s hard not to compare it to the English melancholy of Nick Drake, specifically the simplicity of Pink Moon, but “footsteps” is not remote or abstract.
The song is built around luminous fingerpicked acoustic guitar work, weaving patiently, glowing and warm. The arrangement is uncluttered and deliberate, yet it feels like a finely embroidered tapestry of sound. Sensitive strings move gracefully, helping to imbue a more immersive mood. The only elements in the track that break the spell that this could have been a composition from the late 1960s or early 1970s are the brief glitch noises. Although this is a modern touch, it works well and is a fine addition.
The vocal, similar to Nick Drake’s, has a gorgeous, slow, reflective, and tender delivery. It intimately creates a moment of stillness and solitude. Every nuance and phrase feels heartfelt as it delivers the evocative poetic lyrics steeped in imagery. Those lyrics, doppelfinger adds, “explore the tension between longing for closeness and wanting to protect yourself.”
“footsteps” ultimately doesn’t offer resolution or reinvention but it doesn’t need to. It does however offer a soft-focus atmosphere that lingers long after the final note fades.