Charleston, SC based singer and songwriter Witte Crosby, better known by his moniker, The Sunless Sea, has released a six-track EP, entitled “NO GHOSTS” with the help of co-producer Manny Sanchez, also known for his work with artists such as Fall Out Boy. There are hardly the words to describe how utterly beautiful this EP is.
The Sunless Sea’s songwriting has a unique, enigmatic quality that keeps the music both supremely engaging and undeniably unique. It is virtually impossible to have a favorite song on this EP but if I had to pick one I would choose, for the lyrics, the empathy and the emotion, the song “Void” which has also been made into a stunning stop motion video.
Epic in nature, the opening bars of music sounds eternal when you’re half asleep, half awake and sifting through sleep…just before the crashing walls of powerful guitar riffs blast your semi-consciousness into oblivion, then gently floating you back into melancholy limbo again. I have basically been listening to “Void” nonstop for the past three days, and I never get tired of the gentle yet searching vocals, the intricate lyrics, the moods it provokes and imagery it evokes. The song carries the same grandiose feeling of Pink Floyd arrangements, blended with the wistful brilliance of Radiohead deliveries.
However, apart from the mesmerizing music, the more I listened, the more I picked up on the lyrics, and it was the lyrics that finally blew me away and made me fall absolutely in love with The Sunless Sea. The lyrics are skillfully and poetically wrought, and every verse paints a vivid image in the listener’s mind: “If I was a satellite, you were the city /
Nocturnal intelligence, you were the spark that built a forest fire / And I know we won’t be long / And I know you can’t be right / But I don’t feel your void / No I don’t feel your void / I don’t feel you.”
Just as an abundance of solid descriptive narration in literature pulls the reader into the pages of a book, so the The Sunless Sea pulls his listeners in by weaving colorful images in his lyrics, making us ponder its deeper meaning: “Come on, you can’t be scrounging out for more / I need your conversation quietly / I need the weight I feel inside of me / Need you to dissolve / But I don’t need you.”
To be honest, you wouldn’t even need to step out of the audio realm to appreciate the powerful imagery of “Void”, but Rafael Bonilla Jr. who directed the video clip has certainly done a superb job of extending the creative dimension of this song. His stop motion visuals adds so much emotional depth without ever duplicating The Sunless Sea’s lyrical images, but rather, intensely magnifying them. This song is simply beautiful. It’s a sequence of emotions triggered by the great vocals and complimented with a great instrumental. Do yourself a favor and get hold of it and watch the video!
Connect with Rafael Bonilla Jr. HERE
The Sunless Sea OFFICIAL LINKS: ITUNES – STORE – SPOTIFY – FACEBOOK – YOUTUBE – INSTAGRAM
