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two hundred miles from your motion
I'm tracing the shape that you left
I made a map of the ocean
the circle we'd drawn with ourself
but how could I sleep at such distance
all of my dreams are on fire
I scribble out the equations
into the small hours
there’s a disease on my street now
there is a war in my head
a gap in the sky
for the rain or the light
to get through
and a fire in my bed
I am a coat that the rain wears
I am a pocket of holes
all my dull moments of never
were measured out in full
I’ll lose my war & my empire
I'll keep a sense of humour
we’ll be the star-crossed survivors
in love at the end of the world
there’s a disease on my street now
there is a war in my head
a gap in the sky
for the rain or the light
to get through
and a fire in my bed
Songwriter and composer Ben Osborn returns to Nonostar with new single The Fire and b-side Jane Today, his first solo releases since his 2019 debut album Letters from the Border.
Composed in the early days of Covid-19, The Fire draws inspiration from the feeling of dread and apocalypse that the beginning of the pandemic triggered in many of us. The soft piano melody is enhanced by percussive tones emerging from the piano, creating a heady rhythm and giving a driving power to the whole song, with an echo of artists like Grouper or Björk, complemented by an arrangement of analogue synthesisers, drum machines, live percussion and violins recorded at the Nonostar Studio in Germany.
True to his love of poetry, Ben Osborn has a way with words and sounds, bringing us on a journey through the four elements at times reminiscent of Nick Drake. Despite the feeling of fear and anxiety caused by the climate disaster that seems ahead of us, what truly transpires from The Fire is a sense of hope, and a desire to keep dreaming and striving for a better world. This is a true love song, a song about how love can help us pull through hardships and bridge the distances we face.
The Fire was produced by Ben Osborn along with Nonostar’s label head Alex Stolze, who also plays violin on the track. The beat includes samples from another Nonostar artist, Qruaer, making it a perfect fit for the label.
The single’s B-side, Jane Today, is a deeply emotional and melancholic piano piece, written in homage to a family member. A reflection on illness and dementia, the piece builds a beautiful melody around only a few notes, allowing the notes to lose themselves over time to create a transporting, dreamlike atmosphere.
Due for release 8 Oct 2021
credits
released October 8, 2021
Words and music by Ben Osborn
Produced by Ben Osborn and Alex Stolze
String arrangement on The Fire by Alex Stolze
Piano, synthesisers, drum machines, vocals by Ben Osborn
Violins and backing vocals on The Fire by Alex Stolze
an old EP of rowan's but still my favourite. a brilliantly energetic acoustic musician, who also played harp on several of my songs, this recording ably showcases his skills as arranger & lyricist. Ben Osborn
Keeley Forsyth, on The Leaf Label, writes spectral, pulsing songs that swaddle her mournful alto in mist-like synths. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 2, 2019
Thin Lear's sophisticated rock music is tempered with soaring chamber pop accents and an undeniable gift for melody. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 30, 2020