Trace Decay’s New Single Won’t Leave You Feeling ‘Empty Handed’
Trace Decay. Photo supplied.
Melbourne-based duo Trace Decay have just released their latest single Empty Handed, and it’ll get you feeling dreamy. I’m loving the band’s guitar tone. It suits the track’s vocals perfectly. Everything about Empty Handed feels hand-crafted - the human touch is evident throughout the song. Guitar pop can sometimes feel a bit ‘paint by numbers’, but Empty Handed is a great example of the feelings dreamy pop can evoke.
I love the way Empty Handed’s sound is segmented. The song begins with a guitar line that feels familiar enough to enjoy, but unique enough to captivate. Then the vocals kick in. The song’s melody is soothing, and the harmonies are addictive. There’s nothing overly saccharine about this song - it’s purely natural sweetness. Your teeth won’t hate you for listening to Empty Handed, but your brain will thank you.
Speaking about the track, lead singer Jordan De Pas says, “I wrote Empty Handed when I was going through a period of transition and was uncertain if I was on the right path to improving my own mental health or making it worse. I was holding myself to double standards and constantly second guessing everything.
“It got to the point where I almost felt paralysed when I had to make a choice about anything as the fear of getting it wrong would haunt me. The verses are about me struggling with being in that unshakable mindset, trying to find answers anywhere. The chorus of this song was the last thing that was written as I was so stuck with where it should go.
“The song’s themes had reared their ugly head and started to manifest in the songwriting process. At which point I realised I should just write about acknowledging that this is a thing and not worry about trying to find this magical resolution which I so desired. Probably one of my favourite lines I’ve ever written is the last line in the chorus which encapsulates my experience of self-doubt and crippling anxiety perfectly.”
2020 has been a rough year for everyone’s mental health, and I feel like a lot of people want an easy solution - me included. Unfortunately, we’ve only got the one body and mind, and we need to learn to work together. It’s a process that I’m always working through, and songs like this really do help. It’s a nice reminder that I’m not the only one feeling this way.
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Check out Empty Handed below. It’s more important than ever to let your brain switch off sometimes. You’ll feel the calm wash over you when you’re listening to Trace Decay’s new track. We’re all looking for answers, and this song might help you find them. If nothing else, it’ll get you feeling ready to work out what it is you’re looking for out of life. Isn’t that all we want to know?